One World Away From Darkness
by Broken Angel01
Summary: After MaloMyotismon's defeat, Ken thought he was free of the darkness in his heart. Now, strange things are starting to happen, and the only one who can help him is a friend he knows almost nothing about...
1. Prologue

Hey everyone! I've decided to start a new fanfiction, but don't worry, I'm still writing Lessons In Friendship, which will be updated soon. In the english version of the show, T.K. states he's in class 7-A, which would make him 12 in season two. That's what I'm basing my fic on. This takes place four years later, so he and Ken are 16. You can figure out everyone elses ages from that.

I don't own Digimon, and don't forget to review!

One World Away From Darkness

Prologue

_Where am I? _The shadows around him appeared to be alive. They moved swiftly across the ground towards him, as if stalking him. Out of the darkness, small, claw like hands snaked towards his trembling form, quivering with anticipation at the prospect of catching him. He took a step back and stumbled, just barely catching himself before he fell on his knees. Quickly, the blond's eyes lifted towards the moon, but it offered little comfort from the darkness surrounding him. Its pale blue rays were giving the shadows life, making them stronger.

A loud gasp escaped the blond's throat as the first of those black hands reached him. It latched onto his ankle and began to slide up his leg, reaching desperately for his soul. Two more latched onto his body and curled around his arms. Another slid around his waist and started to climb towards his chest. A violent shudder ran through the blond's body as those slimy hands groped him, searching for a way inside.

A wordless cry escaped from his mouth, and he jerked backwards, trying to wrench himself free from their cold, icy grip. "I won't be your tool!" he screamed at the hands. "Back! Your darkness won't take me!"

He had not really expected a reaction, but to his astonishment, the hands let out sudden squeals of pain. They quickly released him and scuttled back into the forest, disappearing. Confused, the boy looked down and was shocked to discover that his entrie body was glowing a pale, luminescent yellow. Its sweet blissful glow warmed his clammy skin and goosebumps prickled the surface of his body. Long, thick, golden eyelashes fluttered, closing to rest lightly against the skin beneath his eyes. _I'm safe. They can't harm me. Nothing can._

A sudden scream split the air around him, making the leaves on the trees shiver in response. His eyes snapped open. "Hello?" No answer. _Someone's in trouble, but how can I help them if I don't even know where they are?_

Light footsteps sounded behind him, and a twig snapped. The blond's head jerked around, and he quickly scrambled backwards.

"Who's there?" He made his voice hard, trying to sound unafraid, and failed miserably. Silence. The boy strained his ears to listen, but he could not hear anything over the sound of his own heartbeat. Ragged breaths burst from his lungs, filling the small clearing, and he slapped a hand over his mouth to silence them.

The trees before him seemed to shift, and despite his efforts, he could not stop a small gasp from escaping his lips.

"Did you hear it? We're in trouble. All of us and...I think it might be my fault."

The blond froze at the sudden words that broke the silence of the woods. That voice. It sounded familiar. He knew that voice.

After a brief hesitation, he managed to speak. "What kind of trouble?" Despite his better judgement, he was curious.

There was no reply. Instead, the dark figure seemed to melt out of the trees and came to stand before him.

The blond shrank back, unsure of whether or not he should be afraid.

"You glow," the other's voice came forth, his tone soft. "I knew I would find you here."

_Is this guy totally crazy? _"How did you find me?" The blond winced at his own snappish tone. He had not meant to sound so harsh.

The other hesitated and said quietly,"I followed your light."

The blond remained silent. He did not know what to say to that. _My light? Okay, he's definitely crazy!_

"Come on, we have to go. There's no time to waste." The other's voice had grown impatient. He seemed to be in a hurry.

"Go where?" The blond was starting to get confused.

"To stop him before he hurts you. He wants to hurt you because of me..." The dark figure broke off and shifted. He appeared uncomfortable. "I can't do it by myself. I'm not strong enough. Besides, I think he might have gained control of..."

The blond waited expectantly, but the other never finished. If only I could see his face.

"Please?" the boy finally whispered. "I need your help, too."

The blond froze as his dark visitor held out a trembling hand towards him. _Should I trust this strange guy? He seemed harmless enough. _Besides, someone was in trouble. Maybe more than one person, if he was telling the truth.

"Hurry!" the dark figure cried, his voice filling with sudden panic.

Quickly the blond stepped forward, his decision made, and reached out to take the other's hand. Before he could though, a sudden harsh laugh filled the darkness.

"What's going on?" the blond cried in fear. He stumbled as the dark figure beside him let out a cry of dismay. The boy collapsed against the blond's chest, nearly knocking him over.

"Oh no," the other's voice rang harshly in his ear. His hot breath was warm against the blond's skin. "You're too late..."


	2. A Meeting With Friends

Hi, I'm back! I fixed all of the errors, sorry about that! Oh, and I don't own Digimon. Have you ever noticed that in the show, Ken and T.K. did not even talk to each other very often? Other than the famous scene in the Emperor's base and a few others (namely when T.K. gave up his seat for Ken in the car and the one where he handed him food in the restaurant), there really wasn't much between them. This is my answer to why and how to fix that! Also, I'm using the english names because this story is based off the english version, so I feel it makes more sense that way. If you like the Japanese names, feel free to substitute. This part doesn't have much suspense because I'm laying out the story, but there will be tons to come. Oh, there might be a little Takari, but if your not a fan of that, don't stop reading. It certainly is not the main focus of the story.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 1: A Meeting With Friends

_Ken ichijouji_

"Dude, wake up! Have you even listened to a single word I've said?"

Sixteen year old Ken Ichijouji blinked and the soccer field came back into focus. He turned his gaze and found himself staring into the irritated brown eyes of his best friend, sixteen year old Davis Motomiya. Apparently Davis had been chattering away and he had not heard a single word of what the other had said.

"Uh...sorry...what was that?" Ken quickly turned his dark violet gaze to the ground, feeling guilty.

Davis glared at him, looking thoroughly exasperated. "I was only telling you about my brilliant plan for tomorrow's soccer game!"

"Yea, right...soccer." Ken trailed off, watching several kids from their highschool race past. They were laughing and shouting as they soaked each other with water guns. Ken sighed and ran a hand through his thick, raven hair. He had recently cut it a lot shorter, but that did not seem to stop the heat wave they were having from making it stick to his forehead with sweat. _Since when did September get to be so hot?_

"It's not just soccer!" Davis shouted, getting his attention."We have to win this game or we won't make it to the school championships this year! There's no way I'm going to let that snotty private school knock us out of the running!"

"Davis, it's just high school soccer, not the end of the world." An amused smile played across Ken's lips as he watched his friend go red with anger. Davis was captain of the school's soccer team, but the other guys always complained he acted more like a drill sargent, though never to his face. They were always quick to make sure he was out of hearing range first._ I thought I was bad when I was the Emperor. It looks like Davis is every bit the soccer fanatic he claims to be. He sure takes his games seriously. It's a good thing I'm not like that anymore otherwise the team would up and quit with the two of us. _He was on the soccer team as well and played defence while Davis played centre. At first he had not really wanted to join, due mostly to the fact that some of his talent had come from Yukio Oikawa's dark spore. In the end, Davis had been the one to convince him to join, and he was glad now that he had. When he had started to play again, he had discovered that he was actually still a decent player, even without the spore's help. That had been back in ninth grade. Now in eleventh, he had rediscovered his love for soccer. But no matter how much he loved the sport, that did not mean he wanted to practice when it was practically a hundred degrees outside._ Okay, maybe not that bad, but it's close!_

Davis glowered at him and crossed his arms.

"Come on, Davis, it's too hot outside to practice," Ken reasoned. "If we keep this up, we're all going to die of heat stroke, and you won't have a team to practice with!"

"Ken's right," another member of the team named Roka agreed. Roka Suzuki was an energetic boy with brown hair who played half back. With his head of curls and his mischievous grin, he was known for getting into as much trouble at school as Davis did! "Don't worry so much. We'll beat that private school. I've seen them play this year. They're not exactly stellar, if you know what I mean."

Davis looked ready to explode. "Never underestimate your enemy!" he snapped.

Roka shrugged. "Whatever, I'm going for ice cream. Anyone else want to come?"

"Count me in," Ken's fellow defence player, Denbe Yukemura, piped up. Denbe was usually the quiet one on the team, but at that moment he looked ready to do just about anything for an ice cream cone. There was sweat in his pale blond hair, and his emerald green eyes looked tired.

The rest of the team cheered, backing Denbe up, and started off the field after Roka. Ken, being the loyal friend that he was, remained standing next to Davis' side. Surprisingly enough, he did not mind having to take orders from Davis on the field. His days of wanting power were over, and he was content to be an average person. Even his parents had noticed the change in him. Four years ago, his mom had announced that they all needed a fresh start. His parents had decided to move to Odaiba, and he had been glad because it meant he was able to go to school with his friends. Unfortunately he had a sneaking suspicion the reason they chose Odaiba in the first place was so that he could be closer to Davis and the others. His parents seemed to think his friends would help him not to do something stupid, like run away again.

Davis was fuming as he watched the team leave.

"See you later!" Roka called, and Ken answered his goodbye wave with one of his own. He turned to Davis and said weakly, "I guess this means soccer practice is over."

Davis gave him a look, and Ken quickly shut his mouth. The goggle-headed leader was obviously not in any mood for jokes.

Without a word, they started off the field towards the school. After several minutes, Davis began to rant.

"Why doesn't anyone listen to me! I'm the captain! It's not fair!"

Ken rolled his eyes as Davis continued to complain. By this time thay had reached the school and come upon their fourteen year old fellow Digidestined, Cody Hida. The younger boy was standing motionless under the glass enclosed hallway which resembled a bridge. It was used to join the school's buildings together. Students called this place the alley because of the shadows cast from the bridge. Cody was standing with his eyes closed, and he looked as if he had been turned to stone.

Davis stared at the younger boy as if he had gone crazy. "Cody, dude, what the heck are you doing?"

Cody's eyes remained closed, but he held up a hand for silence. Ken and Davis exchanged confused looks. The younger Digidestined lifted his kendo stick in both hands and let out a slow, deep breath. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, without warning, Cody leaped forward and whirled around. His kendo stick caught Davis in the mid-section with amazing accuracy. The breath left Davis' lungs in a gasp, and he doubled over, letting out a loud groan of pain.

"Owwwwwwwwww! What did you do that for!" Davis held onto his midsection, gasping for breath, and Ken swallowed a laugh.

Cody opened his eyes and smiled. "As I always say, Davis, your mouth is your biggest enemy!"

"What's that supposed to mean, and how'd you know where I was with your eyes closed?"

"Your voice," Cody replied, lowering his kendo stick. "The sound of your voice told me exacly where you were standing."

"That doesn't mean you have to assult me," Davis grumbled. "Besides, you probably peeked."

Cody frowned at him and stalked off.

"Wait up," Ken called, catching up to him while Davis staggered along behind. He could not help smiling at the crazy antics his friends played. They were definitely a one-of-a-kind set._ I'm lucky to have them, especially after everything I did to them. _Cody was still taking lessons from his grandfather and was rapidly becoming an expert. Unfortunately for Davis, Cody had a tendency to practice on him!

"I thought you guys were having soccer practice. What happened?" They left the cool shade of the alley, and Cody turned to gaze curiously at them, his kendo stick swinging by his side.

"We would be if the whole team hadn't walked off on me," Davis retorted. He glared at Ken as if it was his fault.

_This is what I get for sticking by his side. Typical Davis! _" We decided to take a break from the heat," Ken explained, his eyes focused on Cody's face. He could see the heat steaming off the pavement as the sun beat down harshly on their heads. Davis snorted in disgust and crossed his arms, sulking.

"Good. That means we can start making plans to go to the Digital World after your soccer game tomorrow."

Ken nodded and smiled softly. It had been four years since the defeat of MaloMyotismon, and since then, the Digital World had become a peaceful place. The gates had remained open, thanks to Oikawa's life force, and often they would visit their digimon partners. This visit they were planning was one of those visits. It was still hard for Ken to believe that they had really done it. Now digimon lived in peace. It was a wonderful feeling. _One I don't want to ever go away. For once in my life I feel free, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep it that way._

"Where have you been?" an angry voice demanded. Ken winced. _So much for the peace idea._

He looked up to find seventeen year old Yolei Inoue glaring at them. Standing beside her was sixteen year old Kari Kamiya, who was smiling slightly. Yolei impatiently tapped her green sandled foot and crossed her arms. She looked angry, and Yolei angry was not something anyone wanted to face.

"Duh, soccer practice, remember?" Davis retorted.

Yolei whirled on him, her high ponytail bouncing with fury. "Just how to you expect us to plan anything around here when you're running off all the time? It's always something, isn't it? Don't you care about Veemon at all, or are your other plans more important?"

"It's soccer practice! Veemon would understand," Davis said defensively. "It's not like I purposely try to screw up our plans!"

"Davis, you got detention four times last week!" Yolei shrieked, turning her back on him. The long silky strands of her lavender hair smacked Davis in the face, making him cough and sputter.

"That was so totally not my fault! I didn't know those frogs were for biology class, I swear! If you ask me, four detentions was a bit harsh."

"Your four after school detentions ruined our plans to go to the Digital World last week!" Yolei shouted. Her brown eyes were blazing wirth fury. "And you knew very well those frogs were for biology!"

"Yeah, but you have to admit, the four detentions were worth it!" Davis grinned and glanced at Ken, who sighed and shook his head.

Yolei was so mad, she could not quite seem to form a sentence. Kari frowned at Davis with disapproval.

Last week, Davis had somehow managed to steal all of the frogs from biology class. Sneaking into the girls locker room, he concealed buckets of frogs on top of all the shower stalls. The next P.E. class happened to be ninth graders. When the ninth grade girls went to use the showers, they ended up covered in frog guts and smelling like formaldehyde. Yolei still had not forgiven him for it. In fact, the ninth grade girls now jumped at every sound. At the time, their screams could be heard all the way down the hallway. Needless to say, the principal had not been impressed.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Davis shrugged "We're here now."

"That's not the point!" Yolei shouted, pushing her glasses back up her nose. They had a tendancy to slide off when she got angry.

Davis glared at Yolei, looking indignant. "What are you yelling at me for? What about T.B.? I don't see him anywhere around here, do you?"

Yolei blinked and looked around, as if only now realizing that someone was missing.

"See?" Davis smirked. "You always say I'm irresponsible. Now look who's the one ruining our plans. Where do you think he has run off to?"

"I don't know. Probably off somewhere with his head in the clouds," Yolei muttered, sounding grumpy.

Ken frowned._ Good question. Where is T.K.? _Usually wherever Kari was, the blond wasn't to far behind and vise versa. They were practically inseperable._ Where could he have gone?_

Everyone looked at Kari, but she just shrugged, looking confused.

"Well? Don't just stand there!" Yolei snapped. Puffing herself up, she straightened her short, green skirt. "Let's go find him!"

They were about to start off across the grass when Ken spotted sixteen year old T.K. Takaishi. "There he is," Ken spoke up in surprise and pointed. His handsome blond friend lay on his stomach in the grass nearby. T.K.'s chin was resting in his hand and a book lay open in front of him. Unlike Ken, T.K. did not look to be suffering from the heat at all. In fact, his golden hair appeared to reflect the rays, making it glow a bright yellow while Ken's dark hair seemed to absorb them. It made beads of sweat slide down his forehead in tiny rivers. Tall, lean, blond, and athletic, T.K. made quite the spectacular sight. Every single girl who walked by glanced hopefully in his direction and giggled. T.K. appeared to be so absorbed in his book that he did not even notice. The student body was always joking around saying that all the girls loved him and all the guys wanted to be him. Ken figured it was probably true. A lot of guys were jealous of T.K., his best friend being amoung them. To top it all off, the blond was captain of the highschool basketball team.

"T.K.! Hello, did you forget?" Yolei called out. Davis gave her a look of outrage. Unlike with the goggle-headed leader, her tone was friendly. T.K. did not even look up. He didn't appear to have heard her words.

"Come on," Kari said and started towards him. Ken and the others fell in behind her, heading towards the blond. The former Emperor gave his female friend a startled look. She seemed uneasy about something. They reached T.K.'s side, standing over him, but still the blond did not look up.

"Dude, we don't have all day, you know," Davis said impatiently. He nudged T.K. with his foot and the blond jumped, obviously startled. He jerked his head back and stared at them with wide, sparkling, aquamarine eyes. Slamming the book closed, T.K. scrambled into a sitting position and shoved the book into his bag out of sight.

"Oh, hey, guys. I didn't hear you come up," he said quickly, trying to smile.

Ken stared at him and exchanged a look with Kari. _That's funny. T.K. looks worried about something. I wonder what it is?_

"No kidding," Yolei smiled. "I called out to you and you didn't even twitch."

Their golden haired friend shrugged, looking guilty, and avoided their eyes.

"T.K., Is something wrong?" Kari asked. She sounded concerned.

"Huh? No, nothing." He stood up, brushing grass off his blue jeans, and straightend the brown, long-sleeved shirt he wore. It had a green stripe across the chest, which brought out the colour of his eyes, making them appear to be almost a teal colour. Ken frowned at him as T.K. put what looked like a false smile on his face. The blond did not seem fine. _Maybe he's just having a bad day. I definitely know what those are like._

"Well, if his royal highness his ready now, can we go?" Davis joked.

T.K. flushed, and Ken had to step back as the blond brushed past him, stalking towards the school.

"Davis, are you ever going to grow up?" Kari sighed. Turning her back on him, she followed T.K.

"Hey wait!" Davis yelled, running after her.

Yolei groaned. "When is he ever going to give it up?"

"Don't hold your breath," Cody muttered.

Ken shook his head and smiled. "Come on, guys, let's get going." Despite his smile, he still felt worried. _Something doesn't feel right. Maybe I'm just imagining things. At least, I hope that's what it is..._


	3. Dark Dreams

Chapter Two is up! This story is going to take place from T.K.'s and Ken's POV's, just to let you know. The next chapter after this is going to have lots of suspence so stay tuned!

I don't own Digimon or any of its characters.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 2: Dark Dreams

_T.K. Takaishi_

T.K. entered the computer room and sat down in one of the chairs, glancing anxiously at the door. The others had not managed to catch up to him yet, and he was grateful for a few minutes alone. His head ached, and he felt exhausted. Last night had not been a good one for sleep. He had spent the whole eight hours tossing and turning, often waking up to find himself tangled in the blankets. Every night, for the past two weeks, he had been having the same disturbing dream. Despite his efforts to find out why, he still had no clue. At first, about a month ago, it had only been once a week. Then it became twice, and now it came everytime he closed his eyes at night.

"T.K.? Are you alright?"

T.K. turned towards the door and managed a week smile for Kari, who had just entered. The petite brunette's amber eyes were filled with concern, and she looked worried. "I'm fine. What makes you think there's anything wrong?"_ I can't tell her. It'll only make her worry. There's no reason to get Kari upset when it's probably nothing. I'm just stressed because of basketball tryouts. When I accepted the position for captain, I never realized there was going to be so many things I had to be involved in, including choosing new teammates. It's a tougher job than I thought, especially considering how much I hate cutting people._

Kari was giving him a look that plainly stated she did not believe him. He sighed, and this time a genuine smile crossed his face. If there was one thing he loved about her, it was the fact that she was always concerned about other people. How often had she put herself at risk to help someone else? It was too many times to count, and that was one of the reasons he respected her so much. "Come on, T.K.," she said softly, "I've known you longer than that. You're a terrible liar, so what's going on?"

"I told you, it's nothing. Don't worry about me, I'm fine." He quickly lowered his eyes to the floor, sure that his face was red with guilt. _It's not a lie. At least...not really. There's nothing wrong! It was just a dream. That's not something I need to get worked up about. Oh yeah? If it's just a dream, then why won't it go away? _T.K. shook his head to clear it and pasted what he hoped was a convincing smile on his face. "It's basketball again. Nothing new. Tryouts are starting this year, and you know how I feel about shooting down other peoples' dreams." He winced at his last words and managed to keep a straight expression on his face. Luckily Kari did not seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. She came forward and sat down next to him, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Oh, T.K., if you could keep everyone you would, wouldn't you?" She gave him a warm smile that was filled with affection.

He shrugged, feeling embarrassed, and stared at his hands. He could not help it. That was just the way he was, and he did not think anything could change how he felt. "I can't help it," he murmured.

Kari wrapped an arm around him and kissed his cheek. "I know. That's what makes you such a wonderful person."

T.K. blushed. Thankfully, Kari's head was resting against his shoulder and she missed seeing his expression. Normally he did not blush very often, except when it came to Kari. She always made him feel as if there were butterflies flitting around in his stomach. To top it off, his heart was pounding so hard, he was sure it was going burst out of his chest, and goosebumps popped out on his arms. It never failed to happen whenever she came near him. Even after all the years they had been friends, the feeling was still there. If anything, it had grown stronger with each passing season. He had thought it might fade as they grew up, but he had been mistaken. The years were only making him care for her even more. Smiling softly, he rested his cheek against her hair and closed his eyes. She smelled like wildflowers, and for the first time in weeks he felt a sense of peace wash over him.

"T.K., if you do want to talk, I'm always here," she said, breaking the comfortable silence between them. He glanced down at her face, and she smiled up at him, her honey brown eyes sparkling in the sunshine coming from the window.

"I know that, and thanks," he said quietly. He still wasn't sure exactly how she felt about him, but he had always believed patience was a virtue. Someday she would let him know how she felt and he would deal with it, whatever her decision was, when the time came. Until then he was content to remain hopeful that she felt the same way he did. _If you trust her, then why didn't you tell her? How could you lie to her face like that? It wasn't a lie. There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just tired. Sometimes that can affect peoples' dreams. Kari would understand. I won't have her worrying about me over nothing. _Even though what his mind had reasoned out made sense, it did not stop him from feeling guilty.

Loud voices at the door made him jump, and he almost fell off his chair. Quickly he and Kari pulled apart and turned to face the others. _Is she blushing? Interesting. Maybe she feels the same way after all!_

_Ken Ichijouji_

Ken and the others stepped inside the computer room, which Davis had dubbed DigiCentral. Now that they were no longer in elementary school, they had needed to find a new central location they could use to travel to the Digital World. The computer room in their highschool had been the most logical choice, and Digicentral was born.

They walked in and found Kari and T.K. already seated. Both looked suspiciously flushed, and Ken hid a smile. It was obvious the two liked each other, and he was happy for them. Now if only they would both wake up and realize it, too.

"So, how are we planning this trip?" Kari asked. She smoothed out her short, white skirt and folded her hands neatly in her lap. She gave them all an expectant look, as if waiting for a suggestion.

"Well, it has got to be after our soccer game tomorrow," Davis insisted. He sprawled backwards on the chair next to T.K., staring defiantly at Yolei, as if daring her to disagree.

"Don't worry," T.K. laughed from his seat across from Ken. "We won't jeopardize your championship dreams!"

Davis glared at him, but T.K. just rolled his eyes. Ken discreetly studied T.K.'s face, frowning thoughtfully._ Is it just me or does T.K. look paler than usual?_

Normally by the end of summer break, the blond would have managed to aquire a golden tan. You would not know it gazing at him now. If anything, he looked as if he was coming down with the flu.

_Why does he appear so uneasy? I've never seen him like this before._

Ken glanced at the others, but they were too busy chatting and did not notice the nervous expression on the blond's face.

_Why don't you ask him what's wrong? _The thought made Ken's heart sink, and he stared miserably at the floor. The truth was, he was afraid to. Out of all his Digidestined friends, T.K. was probably the one he knew the least. Though they had been friends for four years, Ken could not help but feel that there was something missing in their friendship. Sometimes they seemed more like acquaintences than friends. It was strange, but during their past adventures he and T.K. had, for whatever reason, remained distant from one another. Their paths had never crossed in any significant way. Except that one time...the time he and T.K. had fought in his old base when he had been the Emperor. If there was one moment he regretted most in his life, it was that moment. He had a horrible feeling that that incident was the reason he and T.K. weren't very good friends. Who knew that a few minutes in time could alter the future so drastically. Who knew that one mistake could ruin everything. _It's all my fault. I'm the reason we're not good friends, and I have know one to blame but myself. Some things are better left unheard. _He knew about Devimon, and he wished with his whole heart and soul that he didn't. Back in May, Tai had celebrated his twentieth birthday. To honour the occasion, Kari had thrown a huge surprise party. All of the Digidestined had been there, and it was a night that had changed his life forever. During the party, he happened to overhear Matt talking to Kari. They had been talking about T.K. Embarrassed to be caught eavesdropping, he had turned to make his escape and heard the name Devimon. Everything he had heard after that had made his heart sink like a rock. Suddenly he understood why T.K. kept his distance. Devimon. As the Emperor, he had used a part of Devimon to make Kimeramon. The reappearance of the fallen angel must have brought back horrible memories for T.K. That was something Ken was sure the blond could never forgive. T.K. had not protested when he had joined the Digidestined, but Ken still had a feeling the blond could never fully accept him for that one mistake. Ken knew what it was like to lose a Digimon and it felt as if someone was ripping out half your soul. It had been bad enough for him, but for T.K. to lose Patamon at such a young age was something he could not even imagine. The thought alone was enough to make him sick to his stomach. He had forced T.K. to relive that pain all over again, and he hated himself for it.

Since their fight, T.K. had not shown any strong emotions towards him, whether good or bad, and Ken could not blame him. A few times he thought he caught a glimpse of something, but most of the time T.K. did not seem to realize he existed. Even now, T.K. did not appear to sense that he was watching him.

Davis' loud laugh interrupted his miserable thoughts, and he looked up in confusion.

"You're so immature, Davis!" Yolei snapped at the goggle-headed Digidestined.

Apparently Davis had been chewing up spit balls and shooting them at the chalkboard. The goggle-headed leader paused in mid spit and gave Yolei a sullen look. "Why are you always raining on my parade? Can't you go bother someone else for once?"

"No one else is as big of a jerk as you are!" she retorted, crossing her arms over the green star on her t-shirt.

"You never want to have any fun," Davis grumbled.

Yolei looked ready to start shouting again, but Kari hastily changed the subject. "I think it's time we headed out of here. Why don't we meet back in the computer room after school and go to the Digital World then?"

"Fine." Davis stretched and stood up with a yawn. Glancing in Yolei's direction he muttered, "I still think you're a computer geek who doesn't know how to have any fun!"

"You're nothing but a pig headed Neanderthal!" Yolei shouted back at him, her glasses sliding dangerously close to the edge of her nose.

"You're a nerd, Yolei. Face it," Davis smirked at her.

"At least I'm not a brainless oaf!" Yolei shot back. "And I'm not a computer geek!"

Ken sighed. _Here they go again_. Davis and Yolei would keep it up for at least another hour if they did not stop them. In the last four years, the two had grown famous at school for there constant fights, usually over something stupid. Sometimes it wasn't even over anything at all. In Ken's opinion, they were both to hot-headed for there own good. There biggest problem was that they were too much alike. Neither one of them was anything like him. He was often quiet, thoughtful, and soft spoken now that he had given up his Emperor ways. Ken had often wondered if this, too, had affected his friendship with T.K. The blond was very outgoing (the complete opposite of his brother Matt) while he was more reserved. Unlike Yolei and Davis, T.K. had not really pushed to be friends with him. _Why would he have? All I've done is bring him pain. I deserve to have him treat me like I don't exist._

"It never ends with them, does it?"

Ken glanced up to find Kari shaking her head at Davis and Yolei.

"Nope," T.K. replied with a grin. He stood up and held out a hand to Kari, which she accepted with a smile.

Ken watched them head out the door, and his face fell. T.K. had stepped past him, close enough to brush his shoulder, and the blond had not even acknowledged him._ I don't know why I feel so hurt. It's not like this is the first time he has shown me no more interest than he would a rock next to his foot._

"Uh, Ken? Are you coming?"

Ken jumped and turned to Cody who was staring at him. The younger boy's face was filled with curiosity, and he was frowning slightly. "Are you okay? You seem really out of it today."

"Do I?" He tried to make his face blank, but he could feel a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Well, you have been staring at the wall. Didn't you hear what Kari said?"

"Of course I did. Come on, let's go." He let his eyes fall on T.K.'s back, but the blond never looked in his direction.


	4. Voices

I'm back! Sorry about the long wait. This chapter was giving me a hard time, and that's one of the reasons why it's so short. That's also why it took so long to update. I'm still not completely satisfied with it, but it'll have to do for now. I'm actually going to go back and edit all of the chapters to get rid of the mistakes and upload them again. The next chapter will be better and probably longer.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 3: Voices

_Ken Ichijouji_

Ken walked home alone in the sunset with his hands shoved into the pockets of his black jeans. Thankfully the heat had died down, and a cool breeze stirred his hair, caressing his face. _After everything our group has been through, I still can't believe I have trouble sometimes letting my friends know when there's something bothering me. _He knew there was a way to ease his fear, but T.K. always seemed so unapproachable, not to anyone else of course, only to him. T.K. was the type of person people always flocked around. There was just something about him. The blond seemed to glow from the inside out, like an inner light was burning inside him. Other people appeared to sense it and naturally wanted to be close to him. _So why can't I be one of those people? It's just not fair. _But that was the way things were, and there was nothing he could do about it, short of humiliating himself in front of the others when T.K. told him to get lost.

_I wish Wormmon was here. He would know what to say to make me feel better. _Ken smiled softly and gazed up at the sky. His digimon partner was the only one he felt he could say something to without fear of it eventually getting back to T.K. Even after all of the horrible things he had done, Wormmon had remained by his side, and Ken knew he would forever be grateful to the little digimon whose loyalty had never wavered. "I wonder how Wormmon's doing," he said thoughtfully to himself. "I can't wait to see him tomorrow."

_"...Ken..."_

Ken froze and slowly turned around. _Did I just hear someone call my name? _"Davis?" His voice came out slightly higher than normal, and he blushed, feeling embarrassed. "Is that you?"

No one answered. Behind him the street was completely deserted. Strange, he could have sworn someone had just whispered his name.

After a moment he shrugged and started walking again._ Maybe the heat has fried my brain a little or something. I'm probably just imagining things._

Several steps later, he heard it again. The voice sounded like the crackling of dead leaves, dry and barely audible. _"Ken...Ken..."_

"Davis, come on! This isn't funny!" He glanced uneasily at the street in front of him and behind, but there was not a single person in sight. There weren't even any bushes for somebody to hide behind._ If Davis is trying to scare me, then it's not going to work! _He started to walk forward, glancing anxiously to his right and then to his left. Still there was no one around._ Where did that voice come from? Nowhere, you're just imagining things._

_"Sweet Son of Darkness...embrase the call..."_

"No!" Ken screamed, the cruel whisper ringing in his ears. He clamped his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. Abruptly there was silence. Ken slowly peeked between his fingers and gazed fearfully out at the street. Empty. No one had witnessed his embarrassing, hysterical behavior.

Hesitantly, Ken lowered his arms. Sweat beaded his forehead, and his hands felt clammy. Quickly, he wiped them on his pants and swallowed hard. The street was still completely void of life and the voice had not come back. _What's happening to me? Am I going crazy? _"It's nothing," he said out loud. His tone sounded shaky and uncertain, even to himself. "It's just stress about our soccer game coming up, and the heat isn't helping. I'm tired, that's all it is. Once I get some sleep, I'm sure I'll be fine." _Oh really? Then why are you standing in the middle of an empty street talking to yourself? _He looked down and discovered his whole body was shaking. "I'm fine," he whispered. "There's nothing wrong with me."

He was about to start of again when the skin on the back of his neck prickled. Someone was watching him. He whipped around with a gasp and froze. Still empty. Shuddering, Ken rubbed the back of his neck and quickened his pace, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder. Somehow, he could not shake the feeling that something was definitely not right...

_T.K. Takaishi_

T.K. walked towards his apartment building with Yolei and Cody on either side of him and frowned at the setting sun. They strolled down the street in friendly silence leaving him free to be alone with his thoughts. Currently they were focused on a certain raven-haired Digidestined who had been acting rather strangely today. He had not failed to notice the way Ken had been looking at him in the computer room this afternoon. His eyes had been so full of sadness. _Why? What could have possibly made him so upset?_

T.K. sighed softly. He knew Ken still had some personal demons he needed to fight, but he had thought for the most part that Ken was finally letting himself give in to happiness. He absently fingered the golden chain, holding his tag and crest, which hung around his neck. When Oikawa's life essence restored the Digital World, their crests were no longer needed to hold a protective barrier in place. Gennai had given the crests back with all new tags and chains. Even Ken got his crest back, and he too had received a tag. When MaloMyotismon was defeated, the scattered remains of the Emperor's base had mysteriously disappeared. The only thing that had remained was the Crest of Kindness which Gennai had brought to Ken.

There was so much about the former Emperor he did not understand. Even after four years, Ken was still a mystery to him. The only thing about Ken he did know for sure was that he liked the raven-haired Digidestined very much. Unfortunately it did not look as if Ken felt the same way about him. _I thought we were supposed to be friends, so why won't Ken talk to me? _It wasn't that Ken never spoke to him, it was just so rare to have a conversation with the other boy. When they did speak to each other, Ken always seemed so distant, as if his mind was somewhere else.

"T.K., is something wrong?" Cody asked, frowning at him. He looked a little concerned.

T.K. turned and gave the younger boy a brief smile. "I'm fine, just thinking." _Why would Ken be staring at me like that? Most of the time he barely even looks at me. Why the sudden change? I wish...I wish we could be better friends. I just want to be able to talk to him the way I do with my other friends. If only there was some way I could tell him how I feel. _He sighed softly to himself and shook his head. There was nothing stopping him from sharing his feelings with Ken, unless you counted the fact that he wasn't sure how Ken would respond to his efforts of improving their friendship._ What if he doesn't want to get any closer to me? What if he'll never like me as much as he likes the others? _He turned to stare at the ground, hiding the sadness in his eyes from the others. He was not used to this kind of treatment from other people. Even Davis could be a great friend, when the goggle headed leader wanted to be, and he did not hesitate to show it. Davis was especially friendly when he was in a good mood, which was usually most of the time. When T.K. had first come to Odaiba, the students had all but tripped over each other just for a chance to meet him. It had surprised him, but it had also made him feel good inside. Even now, after four years, those same kids still smiled at him in the hallways and waved to him in the lunchroom. Yolei was always giggling about how he seemed to attract people like a magnet, but for all his efforts, it had never worked on Ken. Not that he believed Yolei for a minute. All anybody had to do was be friendly and someone was bound to return it.

"Davis had better not get into any more trouble tomorrow," Yolei muttered angrily to herself. She glared at him, as if reminding him that it was his responsibility to see that Davis stayed out of trouble. Her expression was rather alarming, and he inched slightly away from her, just to be on the safe side. There was no telling when, or where, Yolei's temper could erupt, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of it when it did.

"I'm sure Davis will behave this time," Cody said quickly, casting Yolei an anxious look. "We should have no problem getting to the Digital World."

"We'd better not!" Yolei snapped. "If he does get into trouble again, then we're going without him!"

T.K. shook his head and hid a grin from Yolei._ Sometimes it's better just to run for cover and stay out of the war zone before you end up getting hit by the crossfire!_

He was about to give Yolei some words of comfort when a cool breeze suddenly stirred the hair on his head, and he shivered. _That's weird. How can the air go from boiling hot one minute to freezing cold the next?_

"Hey, what's with the weather?" He glanced at the sky and frowned.

Yolei slowed her pace and turned to give him a funny look. "What are you talking about?"

"Doesn't it feel a little cold to you?"

Cody slowed to a stop and exchanged a look with Yolei. Something unspoken passed between them and they gazed at him with the strangest expressions on their faces. "T.K... I'm practically sweating to death here. How can you be cold?"

T.K. frowned at the uneasiness in their eyes and shrugged. "Maybe it was just a sudden chill." _Like someone just walked over my grave. Stop it, T.K.! What are you trying to do, scare yourself to death _"Come on, let's hurry. My mom's going to be wondering where I am."

The other two nodded reluctantly and quickly hurried after him, his long strides making it difficult for them to keep up. For some reason he had a sudden strong urge to get inside away from the street.

_"The darkness is calling...he will suffer..."_

T.K. froze in mid stride and whirled on Cody and Yolei. "What did you say?" His voice came out harsh, and the other two stumbled to a stop.

"What are you going on about? We didn't say anything," Yolei said, sounding out of breath. She stared at him wide-eyed and took a step back. He blinked and turned to Cody who quickly shook his head.

"I didn't say anything either," the younger Digidestined said quietly. Once again an odd look passed between him and Yolei.

"Are you sure?" T.K. stared hard at them, and they both nodded._ But...then whose voice did I hear? I know I heard something. It sounded like a threat._

"Um...T.K.? Are you sure you're okay?" Yolei asked, sounding a bit hesitant; Yolei was never hesitant about anything.

"I'm fine, let's go," he said shortly and started off again. _At least, I hope I am._


	5. Early Morning Blues

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, this story is just for fun!

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 4: Early Morning Blues

_Ken Ichijouji_

"Ken, honey, you had better hurry up or you're going to be late for school!"

Ken's eyes blinked open, and he let out a groan at the sound of his mother's voice. Slowly he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered. _Going to school is the last thing I feel like doing._ Last night he had slept fitfully, waking up several times, and he was pretty sure he had had a nightmare, but for the life of him he could not remember what it had been about. _It's probably better if I don't know._

"Ken, are you up yet?"

His mother's voice drifted through the door, and he let out a sigh. He was tempted to tell her he was sick, but there was no gaurantee she would believe him if he did. He stumbled out of bed and took a quick look in the mirror. The sight of his own face made him grimace. Dark circles ringed his midnight blue eyes, and his face was even paler than usual. _I look about as bad as I feel. _The back of his neck ached, and he rubbed a hand across it, frowning. _It was that dream I had. That's why I feel so bad. I wish I could remember what it was about._

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it now," he mumbled to himself. Quickly he grabbed a towel from the linen closet and shuffled into the bathroom. With another sigh, he stripped off his sweaty night clothes and stepped into the shower. He started to shiver from the cool, morning breeze stirring through the open window and sniffed. _I hope Davis stays out of trouble today because I really need to talk to Wormmon_. _Maybe he'll be able to figure out why I feel so weird today. _He turned on the shower and closed his eyes, letting the hot spray sooth his rattled nerves. He felt oddly jumpy this morning, and he was pretty sure he knew why. _Don't think about it! That voice you heard yesterday meant nothing. It was just your imagination_.

"Then why can't I stop thinking about it? Maybe that was what my dream had been about," he whispered, his voice becoming lost in the noise from the water streaming down over his body. _I have to stop thinking about this otherwise I'm going to end up driving myself crazy! _His hair was tangled with sweat, and he vigorously rubbed some shampoo into it. With any luck, his anxieties would disappear with the evidence of troubled sleep.

Ken let out a sudden yelp and jumped backwards in surprise. He flattened himself against the wall, trying to avoid the spray from the shower. "What the-" He broke off and reached out a tentative hand to find that the water had turned freezing cold. _That's odd_. He reached over and flinching at the cold spray, he twisted the hot water knob. Nothing happened.

"What the heck is going on?" He frowned in confusion.

_"...Ken..."_

Ken gasped and staggered over the edge of the bathtub, nearly falling on his face. Dripping wet, he quickly wrapped a towel around his naked body and stared at the shower in fear. He gazed in horror as the spray from the shower head began to fade out, growing misty with static. The lights flickered, and Ken let out a whimper of fear. _This isn't happening. It can't be!_ Heart pounding, he raced for the door, almost tripping in his effort to get away from the tub.

A knock at the door made him skid to a halt. It was his father. "Ken, what are you doing in there? You'd better hurry up."

"I'm almost done," he called back and managed just barely to keep the tremor out of his voice. His father's footsteps faded away, and he slowly turned back towards the shower. The spray had returned to normal and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. "There's nothing wrong with me; there's nothing wrong with me," he chanted to himself in a whisper until it became almost a prayer. Hesitantly, he straightened up and pushed his dark, wet hair out of his eyes. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he was shock to see the look of utter terror in his eyes. The sound of his racing heart echoed loudly in his ears, and he shivered violently.

"Lack of sleep," he managed to choke out, glancing nervously around the room. "That's all it is. Nothing bad is going to happen. Just relax." _If I really believe that, then why am I trying so hard to convince myself? _He decided to ignore that thought and whirled around at his mother's loud shout.

"Ken, I mean it! Hurry up and get out here!"

Quickly, he dried himself off and pulled on his clothes. Turning off the shower, he raced for the door, determined not to look back.

_T.K. Takaishi_

T.K. woke with a gasp and sat up, breathng hard. _That dream again. _He let out a soft sigh and fell back against the pillows._ What am I going to do? I wish there was someone I could talk to..._

He jerked up again and winced at the sudden headache behind his eyes. "Patamon," he mumbled. "Maybe he'll know what I can do about these dreams."

He stripped off his clothes and sighed again. "I feel horrible," he murmured. Getting to his feet, he grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom where he stared gloomily at himself in the mirror. His normally bright eyes were dull, and there were dark circles beneath them.

"Now there's a scary sight in the morning." T.K. made a face at his reflection and managed a weak laugh. His hair was a tangled mess.

Quickly, he climbed into the shower and turned the hot water on full blast. _I can't believe this is happening to me. I haven't had an experience like this since Devimon... _He glared down at his toes, feeling angry with himself. _Stop it, _his mind scolded, _Devimon is gone. He's nothing but ancient history. The darkness left you alone a long time ago. Quit asking for more trouble! _"Don't be dumb," he muttered to himself. "I'm not that stupid, and I don't care if I am talking to myself!"

He ran his fingers through his wet, freshly shampooed hair, and stepped out of the tub. Physically he was clean, but deep inside he could not ignore the fact that his skin felt like it was crawling with bugs.

He grabbed his towel and jumped at the sound of the phone ringing.

"T.K.," his mom called out, "Matt's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."

Hastily, he wrapped the towel around his waist and hurried out of the bathroom.

"Hey, Matt," he said softly into the phone.

"Hey, squirt. How's it going?"

T.K. clutched the receiver tightly in his hand and almost cried in relief. He had never been so glad to hear his brother's voice before.

"Are you alright?" Matt asked. "You sound really tired." There was deep concern in his older brother's voice. T.K. squeezed his eyes shut and tried desperately not to sob into the phone.

"I'm okay." His voice came out barely above a whisper. There was silence on the other end of the phone. Obviously Matt did not believe him for a second.

Finally Matt spoke again, and he sounded suspicious. "Are you still planning to come to my concert next week with Kari and the others?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for anything."

His mother Nancy happened to walk by, and she frowned at him. "T.K., honey, you're dripping all over the floor."

"Sorry," he replied.

His mom just rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen.

"Hey, T.K.? I just wanted to let you know the concert has been moved up to seven p.m. instead of eight. We've added some new songs, and we want to try them out."

T.K. sighed miserably. "Alright. I'll let the others know."

A sudden knock on the door startled him, and he looked up to see Yolei and Davis race into the room.

T.K. almost dropped the phone and blinked at them in surprise. "What are you guys doing here so early in the morning?" he asked, staring at them in confusion.

Yolei went pink in the face and started giggling. "T.K., it's eight-thirty in the morning already. Judging by the look of you I'd say someone slept in late!" She started giggling even louder and eyed his athletic frame.

He suddenly realized he was sitting in his living room in a towel and went bright red in the face. "Yolei!" He shouted, blushing furiously. "I'm in a towel!"

"Yeah, I noticed," Yolei giggled.

Davis just shrugged and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Who are you talking to anyway?" Yolei asked curiously.

"Matt," he managed to say. _They're never going to let me forget this! And I thought the day couldn't get any worse!_

Yolei grabbed the receiver from him and hit the speaker phone button. "Hi, Matt," she giggled.

"Yolei, stop embarrassing my baby brother or I'm going to have to come over there and teach you some manners!" Matt's words were not very convincing considering the fact that he was laughing so hard he could barely speak.

Yolei rolled her eyes. "Nothing I haven't seen before!"

"What!" T.K.'s face turned an even darker shade of red, and he glared at her. _She can't be serious!_

Yolei fell into a fit of hysterical laughter, and Davis snickered loudly.

"Don't you remember that time we went to the beach and I accidentally walked in on you and Davis when you guys were changing?"

"Oh yeah," he said thoughtfully. "I'd forgotten about that!"

"You what!" Davis shouted at Yolei. His face turned an unusual shade of pink.

"I certainly had a nice view. It was perfecto! It's too bad Kari wasn't with me," she sighed.

_She did not just say that! _His face felt like it was on fire. "Yolei. out. Now," he ordered and pointed his finger towards the door.

She crossed her arms and went into the kitchen grumbling about her fun being ruined.

"I tried to warn you," his mother said to Yolei.

_Just great. _Even his mom sounded like she was laughing at him.

On the other end of the phone Matt was struggling to breathe between laughs.

"Thanks a lot big brother. I love you, too," he said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Matt managed to say. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Matt." He hung up the phone and realized with all the commotion, he had forgotten to tell Matt he wanted to talk to him. _Oh well. It's probably for the best. I'd just end up worrying him, and then he'd never leave me alone!_

"Come on," Davis said, grabbing his arm. T.K. tried to protest but Davis dragged him into his room and slammed the door behind them.

"What-"

"Hurry up," Davis interrupted and threw some clothes at him.

T.K. pulled his towel off and began drying his hair with a slight frown on his face. "Why?"

"If I get another detention because we're late, Yolei will freak," he muttered.

T.K. hid his smile behind his towel and began drying himself off. _No kidding. Yolei will flip out, and she's scary when she's mad!_

He pulled on a pair of underwear and studied Davis from beneath his lashes. The goggle headed leader was sitting on the edge of his bed, glancing anxiously at the clock, and looking rather nervous.

_I could tell him about my dreams. He might not be able to help, but at least I'd finally be able to tell someone. I know he won't tell Kari. There's no way Davis wants her worrying about me!_

He bagan to pull on the jeans Davis had thrown him and gazed at his friend with uncertainty. "Hey, Davis?"

Davis dragged his eyes away from the clock and stared curiously at him. "Yeah?"

_He won't believe you_, a little voice in his mind whispered. _He'll just laugh and say you're being an idiot. _"Nothing," he muttered and angrily yanked up the zipper on his jeans.

He had just finished buttoning them up when the door burst open. T.K. jumped a mile high and blushed as Cody and Kari entered the room."Doesn't anyone know how to knock around here?" he complained.

Cody blinked at him. "What's wrong, T.K.?"

"Nothing," Yolei snorted from behind the youngest member of the Digidestined. "He's just embarrassed because I saw him in a towel!"

T.K. yanked a brush through his hair and made a point of ignoring her.

"Yolei!" Kari scolded.

"It was an accident, I swear!" Yolei grinned at her. "Wait till you hear about the time I walked in on him and Davis at the beach. Trust me, what's under the towel is just as cute as the rest of him!"

"Yolei!" Kari gasped, looking shocked. Then she blushed and started to giggle.

_Please kill me now._ "Yolei!" He shouted. "If you don't be quiet, I will personally kick you out of this apartment myself!"

"You're no fun," Yolei pouted. She smiled at Kari who had turned a bright pink.

"Hey, guys? As much as I enjoy a conversation about T.K. being naked, can we please go? School won't wait forever," Davis said sarcastically.

T.K. placed a well aimed glare in Davis's direction and pulled his shirt on over his head.

"He's right," Cody said. "We had better get moving."

They started towards the door, and T.K. jumped at the sudden feel of Kari's arm around his waist.

"Yolei's right about one thing," she said softly. "You are awfully cute."

He stumbled at her words and ducked his head so she would not see him blushing. _Why do I have a feeling this is going to be a really crummy day?_


	6. Crossing The Wall

Another chapter!

To, tabbycat: Hummmm... where just going to have to wait and see with the others!

To, Chosen Child of Darkness: If I could write faster, I would!

To, silver centurion: I'm glad you didn't overlook me and an encore you'll have!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon and never will.

One World Away from Darkness

Chapter 6:Crossing The Wall

_Ken Ichijouji_

Ken dragged himself into biology class to find that Kari and T.K. were already there. They were seated at a lab bench, talking quietly to one another, and flipping through their textbooks. They both looked up as he approached, and Ken managed to put a smile on his face.

"Hi, Ken," Kari said brightly.

"Hey." He collapsed onto the stool across from them and pulled his textbook out of his bag. "Where's Davis?"

Kari sighed and straightened her yellow top. "Late, as usual. We thought he was with you."

Ken shook his head and frowned. _I wonder where he is? Davis is my best friend. Maybe I should say something to him. No, I can't. Davis will just think that I've finally gone off the deep end. I can't deal with that, especially not from him._

"Are you alright?" He looked up and found Kari watching him closely. There was concern in her amber eyes and she seemed worried.

Ken felt his face start to heat up. "Yes," he said quickly, nervously pulling on his black and green long sleeve shirt.

"Are you sure? You look tired," Kari pressed.

Ken nodded. Sensing that he was being watched, Ken looked up and was shocked to find that T.K. was staring at him. The blond regarded him with cool blue eyes, but his expression was unreadable. Ken flushed and quickly looked away. He had a strange feeling that T.K. could somehow read his mind. _Don't be stupid! Of course he can't! _That didn't stop him from feeling uneasy though. Thankfully, Davis chose that moment to appear, easing his awkwardness somewhat.

"Dudes, so are we all set for this afternoon?" Davis asked. His friend plopped into the seat beside him and across from T.K. with a grin.

"Definitely, that is, if everyone decides to stay out of trouble today!" Kari gave Davis a stern look and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Davis said, trying to look innocent.

"Everyone settle down!" Mr.Ono, their teacher, snapped. Ever since the frog incident, he had been in an especially bad mood.

"Since there happens to be a shortage of frogs, (Mr. Ono glared in Davis direction) we will be dissecting worms today. You have the directions already and tools can be found in the back cupboard. Now get to work!"

Davis whistled innocently at the ceiling, while the rest of the class laughed, and Mr. Ono fumed.

"He's such a stick in the mud," Davis complained as they got to work.

"Can you blame him? I'd be pretty crabby too if you were my student," T.K. laughed.

"Shows what you know, T.J. Besides, if you ask me, I did him a favor. His life could use a little bit of livening up!"

"Oh, and the ninth grade girls too?" T.K. retorted and raised a blond eyebrow.

Ken lowered his head and got to work trying to appear as normal as possible. There was no way he wanted the others to know what was happening to him. _They'll definitely think I'm going crazy. _There was no way he wanted to see them looking at him like that. He valued their friendship more than anything in the world and he didn't know what he would do if he ever lost any of them. After everything he had done, the fact that they even were his friends affected him so deeply, he didn't think he would ever be able to put it into words.

He peeked at T.K. out the corner of his eye and quickly looked away. That was one of the reasons why it hurt so much that T.K. didn't put any type of effort into strengthening their friendship. Half the time, T.K. seemed to forget that he was even there. It was like the blond would forget that they were suppose to be friends. _Is this some sort of sign that's telling me I don't deserve the friendship Davis and the others give me? _His biggest fear was that, eventually, everything would blow up in his face, and he would lose them all. It seemed like the perfect punishment for the terrible things he had done as the Emperor. If that ever did happen, he had a terrible feeling that T.K. would be the first one to go.

"Davis! That's disgusting! Put that worm down! You're suppose to be dissecting it, not mutilating it!" Kari squealed and Ken looked up in confusion.

"What do you think I'm doing!" Davis retorted.

Ken leaned over to take a look and wrinkled his nose. "Whatever you do, Davis, don't become a surgeon," he said and patted his friend's shoulder. The poor worm looked as if it had been chewed up by a dog and spat out again.

"Are you kidding? It's my dream job!" Davis joked. "T.J. can be my first patient!" He sent a wicked smile in the blond's direction.

"You get anywhere near my insides with a scalpel and I'll chop off your hand!" T.K. gave Davis a dirty look and brought his own scalpel down millimetres from the goggle headed leader's wrist. Davis let out a yelp and yanked his hand away.

"Watch it with that thing!" He shouted and glared at T.K.

"I was," T.K. replied dryly. Kari started to giggle and Davis went red with anger.

Ken sighed and rubbed his eyes. Even if he did tell them about what had happened that morning, they would just tell him he was imagining things. _I've caused them enough trouble and grief already._ He didn't want to make any problems for them, especially with the Digital World being so peaceful at the current moment.

"Dude, Ken, wake up!"

Ken jerked his head up and blinked at Davis.

"What's up with you? Why do you keep spacing out on me?" Davis complained.

Ken blushed and started to stammer. "I wasn't! I was just..."

"Aren't you going to dissect that?" Kari asked. She pointed at his tray and he stared down at it in confusion.

"You've been staring at it for twenty minutes," she said gently.

Ken's blushed deepened. "Oh right," he mumbled, and picked up his knife. He went to make the first incision, but the knife slipped, and he accidentally cut his finger instead. "Owww!" He dropped the knife on the table and winced as the blood started to seep out of the cut.

"Dude, careful!" Davis shouted. His friend quickly grabbed the knife away from him and gave him a concerned look.

Ken bit his lip. _Is it just me, or has this just been one of those days? _

Without warning, T.K. jumped up and leaned across the table to stare at his finger. The blonds eyebrows narrowed into a deep frown.

Ken choked back a startled gasp of surprise and stared at T.K. in shock. He couldn't remember the last time T.k. had shown him even the slightest bit of interest._ So why is he suddenly staring at me like that?_

"You'd better clean that out before it gets infected," T.K. said, his voice sounding neutral.

Ken found that he was unable to reply. It had been so long since T.K. had addressed him directly, that he had become accustomed to being nothing more then a shadow to the blond. This sudden interest left him speechless.

"Come on," T.K. said, motioning for Ken to follow him. His expression was also neutral making it impossible to tell what the other was thinking. _Is this really happening? _Just yesterday, T.K.had acted as if he was invisible. He had expected one of the others to help him, but never in a million years did he think T.K. would! Even Kari and Davis looked surprised. Ken stared after T.K. in astonishment with his mouth hanging open. Realizing he must look like an idiot, Ken flushed and silently followed him to the sink.

T.K. turned on the tap and gestured for him to stick his finger under it. Feeling suddenly shy, he obediently stuck his finger under the spray and shuddered as he watched his own blood begin to trickle down the drain. He slowly looked up to find T.K.'s crystal blue gaze staring at the blood in the sink with the strangest expression on his face. At that moment, T.K. happened to look up, and their gazes locked. Ken froze and his breath caught in his throat. _I can't believe it. _This was the first time in months that T.k. had looked directly at him, and it made him feel uncertain. Very rarely did T.K. ever give him his full attention. In fact, the only other time that even counted was the confrontation in the Emperor's base. His base. He stood there like a rock as T.K.'s brilliant blue gaze studied his face. It made him feel weird, as if the blond could read what was written on his soul.

T.K. glanced around, as if making sure no one was listening, and suddenly leaned close to him. "A word of advice, Ken," he whispered softly. "Never try using a knife when you're nervous or upset. It'll get you everytime."

Ken felt his heart stop. "What?" He whispered. His violet eyes grew wide with fear. _No...impossible! He couldn't know! He just can't!_ Without warning, T.K. reached out a hand and took him by the wrist, making him gasp in surprise. He could feel the blond's warm fingers pressing against his skin and was acutely aware of the fact that his pulse was pounding rapidly under T.K.'s thumb. Ken stared at the blond in confusion and suddenly realized what T.K. was talking about. His hand was shaking very badly. T.K. continued to stare at him, his face expressionless,and Ken felt his own face heat up with embarrassment. He pulled his arm out of T.K.'s grasp, with more force then was strickly necessary, and grabbed a bandage from the cupboard. Quickly, he hurried back to his seat trying not to look back.

_There's no way he could possibly know! _Ken swallowed hard. T.K. would have had to be stupid not to feel his out of control pulse. He was starting to feel horribly vulnerable.

"Here, let me get that for you," Kari said kindly. She took the bandage out of his hand and began peeling off the package. Ken realized he had been twisting it unconsciously in his hand and had almost ripped the package. He lowered his eyes to the table and meekly held out his finger.

"Dude, are you alright?" Davis asked. Surprisingly, he looked concerned.

Ken nodded and quickly lowered his eyes again as T.K. returned to the table.

"There, done," Kari said, fixing the bandage to his finger.

"Same here," Davis announced, whittling away at his worm.

"You're kidding, right?" T.K. wrinkled his nose and gave Davis's worm a look of disgust.

"Who asked you Mr.- oops."

"Davis!" Kari squealed.

Davis, who hadn't been paying the least bit of attention to what he was doing, had accidentally chopped his worm in half.

T.K. started to laughed. "Davis, do us all a favor and leave the doctor work to Joe!"

"Like I'd ever want to be a doctor anyway," Davis retorted "Boring! All that science? No thanks!"

"Davis, no offence, but you wouldn't have the brain capacity to be a doctor!" T.K. joked; his eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Hey!" Davis shouted. "Who gave you the right to insult me, T.I.! Just for that it's only fair that I get your worm!"

T.K. quickly put a protective arm over his own neatly dissected worm and gave the goggle headed leader a reproachful look as Davis tried to grab it.

Ken stared at T.K. in utter shock. He couldn't believe it. The blond was acting as if nothing had happened between them! From the look on T.K.'s face, no one would have guessed that anything unusual had gone on only moments before. _He couldn't have forgotten that quickly! _For a moment there he had been sure that T.K. suspected something. He shook his head. _No. I'm probably just overreacting again. _

"What is it?" Kari asked, watching him closely.

"Nothing," he said quietly. He seemed to be saying that a lot lately. For a second, he could have sworn T.K. was watching him, but he didn't dare look up to find out.


	7. Guardian Angel

I'm back again!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 7: Gaurdian Angel

_Ken Ichijouji_

Ken quickly shoved his books into his locker and closed the door with a sigh. _If the voices don't drive me crazy, the worrying will._ He leaned his forehead against the locker and tried to focus on taking slow, deep breaths. The metal surface felt cool and refreshing against his hot skin. _Maybe I'm coming down with something. That would definitely explain a few things. Just my luck. It isn't even flu season. So much for that idea._

He pushed away from the locker with a groan, and he started down the practically empty hallway towards the computer room. Why had T.K. taken a sudden interest in him? _Probably a fluke. Maybe it was just one of those Twilight Zone moments. But...I'm sure I didn't imagine it. He was looking right at me! Wonderful. Now I'm talking to myself. What in the Digiworld is wrong with me? Forget I said that. If I start answering back, then there really will be something wrong with me! _

He entered the computer room and found the others already inside waiting for him.

"You should have seen Mr. Ono's face when Davis handed in his worm!" T.K. laughed. He was seated in a chair next to Kari, and his eyes sparkled with amusement. "I thought for sure another detention was on the way!"

"Davis!" Yolei shouted in fury.

"Luckily for Davis, the bell rang just at that moment!" Kari giggled. "I've never seen him run so fast! It made his stamina on a soccer field look poor!"

"Yeah. He was out of there before Ono had a chance to blink!" T.K. grinned.

The look Yolei sent Davis was filled with murderous rage and Ken winced. Ono was the least of Davis's problems right now!

"I'm here, aren't I? So lets get going alre- hey, Ken." Davis sent a glare in Yolei's direction and turned to smile at him. Five pairs of eyes stared at him, and he blushed at the sudden attention.

"Hey," he replied, trying his best not to sound weary.

"How'd the soccer game go? I meant to ask earlier, and then I forgot." Cody looked expectantly at them, and he shrugged.

"We won of course!" Davis cheered and raised a fist in victory. Then he turned to Ken and glared at him. "No thanks to you! What happened out there?"

Ken blushed a second time and lowered his eyes to the floor. He could not deny that he had not played his best today. In fact, he had been absolutely terrible and that was putting it nicely. If it hadn't been for Denbe, the other team would have scored big points and won. Instead of paying attention to the soccer ball, he had spent most of the game worrying about whether or not he was losing his sanity. It was a miracle that he had even been able to concentrate at all. Denbe, on the other hand, had made some pretty spectacular moves. _I have to remember to thank him later. Without him, the game would have ended in disaster. "_You see? Roka was right. We won even without yesterday's practice," Ken said in an attempt to make amends.

Davis just crossed his arms and gave him a sulky look.

"Everyone ready? We should get going." T.K stepped up to the computer and everyone else got up to join him. Ken snuck a peek at his blond friend, but T.K. gave no notice that he had seen it.

"Lets roll!" Davis held out his D-3 and the others did the same. "Digiport open!"

They found themselves on a grassy plain in the Digital World and spotted their Digimon running towards them. "Veemon! Dude, over here!" Davis called out. He waved an arm in the air which made Ken smile. The gesture was rather pointless considering that the digimon had already spotted them.

"Davis! Where have you been? We were expecting you ages ago!" Veemon ran into Davis, nearly knocking him over, and hugged the goggle headed leader's legs.

"We would have been here sooner if it hadn't been for a certain someone!" Yolei sent a dirty look in Davis's direction and gave Hawkmon a squeeze.

"I don't think I'm going to ask!" Patamon laughed. He dropped out of the sky and settled himself onto T.K.'s head with familiarity. Now that T.K. no longer wore a hat, Patamon was constantly messing up his hair. T.K. didn't seem to mind though.

"Hi, Patamon," the blond said, sounding somewhat distracted. His sky blue gaze roamed the landscape as if he expected something to happen. Ken wasn't sure exactly what T.K. would be looking for, but it made the skin on the back of his neck prickle.

"Hello, Ken."

Ken glanced down and smiled fondly at his digimon partner. "Hey, Wormon. I missed you," he said softly. Reaching down, he picked Wormon up and cuddled the digimon to his chest.

"I missed you, too," Wormon replied. He rubbed his head affectionately against Ken's cheek, and Ken smiled. He was starting to feel better already.

"So, what are the plans for today?" Gatomon asked. She stood at Kari's feet and gazed expectantly at everyone.

Davis frowned and thoughtfully adjusted his goggles.

"I know!" Yolei said. Her face brightened and she smiled. "Why don't we go visit Primary Village?"

"Sounds good, but with all those baby digimon there I doubt I'll get my afternoon nap in." Armadillomon sighed wistfully.

Cody laughed. "Come on guys. Lets get going."

They started off in the afternoon sunshine with a warm breeze swirling around them.

"Do you think the babies will be happy to see us?" Patamon asked.

"I'm sure they will be," T.K. replied. He absently scratched the little digimon's ears and glanced around with a frown on his face.

Ken blinked in surprise. _That's odd. Usually T.K. gives Patamon his full attention._ Patamon did not even seem to notice. The digimon gave T.K. an adorable smile and used his ear to stroke T.K.'s cheek. The blond didn't even crack a smile. Ken was positive T.K. had not even been aware of Patamon's gesture. He shrugged. _Maybe T.K.'s just having a bad day. I know what those are like. Lately, nothing has been going right for me. But then...why was he acting so weird in biology class? _He glanced at T.K. again and sighed. He wished there was some way he could find out why T.K. had been acting so strange. _I might be able to help him. Yeah right. I was the Emperor. I'm not in any condition to be helping anyone. _Still, it would be a way to get to know the blond a little bit better. There was only one problem. He couldn't help holding back a bit. There was just something about T.K. that always made him feel rather shy when the other was around. T.K. was just so nice and friendly that he made other people feel good about themselves. _Well, everyone except me. _But that was T.K. He had a profound affect on anyone he met. It was no wonder all the girls liked him and all the guys wanted to be his friend. _Including me. _Unfortunately, he was never quite able to fully meet T.K.'s eyes. Everytime he did, all the guilt over the things he had done as the Emperor came rushing back. _T.K. had never let darkness stop him_. It made Ken feel ashamed of his own weakness even though he knew that was ridiculous. The others had all forgiven him. _Everyone except T.K._ He hated looking like a horrible person in T.K.'s eyes, and he would do anything to change the blond's opinion about him.

"We're here," Cody announced, interrupting his thoughts.

There was a loud cheer and the little digimon all came over to greet them.

"Hey there, guys," Yolei said. She smiled as the little digimon hopped about with excitement. "We thought we'd come spend the day with you."

"Hurray! Lets play a game!" the digimon cried.

"Sure," T.K. said, smiling. "What would you like to play?"

"Hide and seek! Hide and seek!" some of the digimon chanted.

"Soccer!" several others shouted.

Kari laughed and pulled up her long sleeved yellow gloves. "Alright. Why don't we split up? T.K. and I will take some of you to play hide and seek while the rest of you play soccer with Davis."

"Hey wait!" Davis shouted, but he was too late. Kari and T.K. took off with a group of digimon following behind.

"Not fair!" Davis whined. He kicked at the grass and glared after T.K.

Yolei rolled her eyes. "Stop your whining! Come on." She smacked Davis in the back of the head and went to find a soccer ball.

"Why are you always picking on me?" Davis snapped. Grumbling to himself, he followed after her with Cody and their digimon.

Ken found himself standing alone in the middle of the street.

"Aren't we going to go too?" Wormon asked.

Ken shrugged. Personally he'd had enough soccer for one day, especially with the way Davis had been shouting at everyone on the field all afternoon. "Actually, Wormon, do you mind if we just go for a walk? I don't really feel like playing a game right now."

"If that's what you want, but won't the others be wondering where you are?"

"They won't miss me for a while." That was one of the setbacks of being quiet. People tended to forget about you, only in this case, for once it was working in his favour. Right now he wanted to be alone.

He hugged Wormon tight and headed for the grove at the edge of Primary Village.

_T.K. Takaishi_

"How about right here?" Angemon asked. "This will be a good spot."

"Okay. It's as good as any other place. It'll take the baby digimon a while to spot us."

Angemon set him on his feet, and T.K. turned to smile at his partner. The two of them were standing in a large grove next to Primary Village. They were surrounded by trees in a small clearing with the sun shining brightly overhead. Angemon had flown them there to escape the baby digimon they were currently hiding from. Kari and Angewomon had gone off in the other direction.

T.K. sat down on a fallen log, and Angemon sat down gracefully in the grass at his feet. The two fell silent and T.K. frowned. He made himself comfortable, (who knew how long it would take for the baby digimon to find them) and glanced up at the sky.

It was his digimon who broke the silence. "T.K.? Is something wrong?"

He turned to stare at Angemon and found his partner staring back at him.

"No," he replied, feeling nervous.

Angemon waited patiently as if expecting him to say more.

_Tell him! You have to tell someone before it drives you crazy! _He sighed. _Angemon's my partner. He would never betray my secrets to the others. He'll support me no matter what._

"Yes," he said finally and stared at his hands; they were shaking. "There's something very wrong."

Angemon's face clouded into an expression of concern. "I thought so. I can feel when something is upsetting you. What is it?" The angel laid a hand on his arm, and T.K. covered it with one of his own before turning to gaze back to the sky.

"Every night I keep having this strange dream," he began slowly. "It always starts with me standing in a dark forest. At first, I'm always alone. The moon's shining down and that's when the shadows come alive. They try to grab me, but something always happens to stop them. Then I discover that I'm not alone. Someone else comes out of the forest and starts to speak to me. He keeps telling me that something bad is going to happen. I can't see his face, but he always seems...familar somehow. After that, this horrible voice starts to laugh and the other guy tells me that I'm too late. For what, I have know idea. What is it all suppose to mean?"

Angemon stared silently at him for a long moment. "T.K.," he said finally. "You have never let darkness stop you before. Why would you start now?"

"I can't help it," he whispered. His face crumbled, and he pulled his hand away from Angemon's. He had not felt this helpless since Devimon. _What if this is the same kind of thing? I don't want my friends or my digimon to get hurt. If anything ever happened to Angemon again..._

He felt Angemon's hand against his cheek, and he jumped at the sudden touch.

"What are you afraid of?" Angemon's voice was gentle and the feel of his fingers was soft against T.K.'s skin.

"There was a voice," he whispered, his words trembling. "It spoke to me. It said that someone was going to suffer."

Angemon leaned forward and slipped his arms around T.K.'s waist in a warm hug. "No one is going to get hurt as long as you believe in yourself and your friends," the angel said softly. "The darkness can't harm any of you if you stand strong together."

T.K. hid his face against the top of Angemon's head and wrapped his arms around his partner's neck. "I can't help it," he mumbled. "Where had that voice come from, and who does it belong to?"

"I do not know," Angemon murmured. "I don't like it, but I know you can fight it if you don't let your doubt get in the way."

Angemon pulled back and rested his forehead against T.K.'s with a smile on his face. "You've always been a strong person, T.K. I know you can do this, and I'll be there to help you no matter what."

"Will you?" T.K. felt his eyes tear up and he had to turn away.

"T.K., why are you so upset?"

His partner's face was filled with alarm, but he was unable to say anything that would comfort the digimon.

"T.K.?"

"How do I know that for sure? What if something happens to you a second time? What if the darkness..." He broke off and covered his face with his hands. "I couldn't bear it if I lost you again," he whispered, his voice breaking.

"T.K.? Hey, look at me."

T.K. felt his hands being pulled away from his face and found himself gazing at his partner.

Angemon pulled his trembling body close and held him tightly. "Listen to me," the angel murmured softly into his hair. "No matter what happens, I will always come back to you. Nothing can take me from your side. We will fight the darkness together. You're my partner, T.K. I will always protect you."

"But, I failed you," he whispered tearfully into his partner's chest. "I let you die. Why would you want to protect me?"

"You have never failed me," Angemon said quietly. "We belong together. Why else would I want to protect you?"

He remained silent, and Angemon placed reassuring hands on his shoulders. "If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I gave up my life to save you and the others, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. You know how much I care about you, and we will do what we can to protect each other."

T.K. reached out and gently stroked one of Angemon's large, feathery wings. "My gaurdian angel," he murmured. "What would I do without you?"

Angemon merely smiled at his touch and rested an arm on the log next to his thigh.

_Angemon really does understand. I never should have hesitated to tell him._

"There's something else that's bothering you," Angemon said quietly. "What else has you troubled?"

T.K. stared at him in surprise and started to laugh. "You know me better than I know myself, Angemon." He frowned. "Actually, it's Ken. I can tell there's something bothering him, but I have no clue what it might be."

Angemon gazed off into the trees and sighed. "His heart is pure, and yet, his guilt still remains."

T.K.'s mouth fell open, and he quickly shut it. In all the years that they had been partners, he had never really thought about what Angemon's feelings towards his friends might be. _Is this how Angemon sees Ken?_

"Um... Angemon?" He hesitated and quickly plunged in. "What do you think of the others? Do you care about them as much as you care about me?"

The look on Angemon's face suggested that he was asking an extremely ridiculous question. "Of course I do! I'm quite fond of all our friends."

T.K. smiled and reached out to rest his head against Angemon's shoulder. "Good. I'm glad."

"T.K.? Why do you think there's something bothering Ken?" Angemon asked curiously. The angel's hand came to rest gently on the back of his head.

"He's been acting really strange lately. Sometimes he looks almost scared. I can tell he hasn't been sleeping. I just wish I knew what was wrong. If he won't tell me, then how am I suppose to help him?"

"Why don't you ask him what's wrong?" Angemon suggested.

T.K. blushed and stared at the ground. "I don't think that would be a very good idea," he mumbled.

"Why not?" Angemon looked surprised. "Ken is your friend. Don't you like him anymore?"

"Of course I like him," he replied, sounding somewhat defensive. _Why would Angemon think that I didn't?_

"The angel stared at him in confusion."Then what is the problem?"

"It's just...nothing, nevermind." _There's no way Ken would even want my help. Besides, I'm sure Davis or one of the others will help him. He doesn't need me._

"T.K., Ken is your friend," Angemon repeated. "If there is something bothering him, then you must be willing to help. Otherwise, it might be too late. If that happens, will you still be able to live with yourself knowing that you failed to be there when he needed you?"

T.K. bit his lip and turned away. _Angemon's right. If something bad happens to Ken, and I don't help him, then I'll never forgive myself._

"I feel it, too," Angemon murmured. "Ken is uneasy about something, and we will help him through it."

_How can I when Ken seems so far away from me?_ "I'll try," he said slowly. "Um...did you really believe that I didn't like Ken anymore?"

Angemon shook his head. "No, but this distance between the two of you seems to grow larger everyday. I do not understand why you hesitate to get closer to Ken. If you let this continue, I fear the gap will grow too large for it to ever mend again."

T.K. nodded and hugged his partner tightly. "I'll think about what you said," he whispered. _I can't get close to Ken. If I do, he'll only push me away._

There was a sudden murmur of voices close by, and T.K. glanced into the trees with a frown. "I wonder who that could be."

"Let's go and find out," Angemon replied.

T.K. stood up and rested his cheek against Angemon's wing. "You better turn back to Patamon or you'll eat all my food, and I'll have to go hungry. Champions use a lot of energy."

Angemon snorted loudly. "I thought we decided that I wasn't a pig!"

"You're not, but that doesn't mean you don't eat like one!" T.K. grinned.

Angemon gave him an indignant look, and he laughed. "Don't worry," he said softly. " I love you just the way you are."

"Same to you," Angemon murmured. His partner turned back to Patamon and settled onto his head.

"I wonder who those voices belong to?" Feeling curious, he headed towards the sound.


	8. The Eyes Of Darkness

I'm back, and I'm sorry it took a while. I'm going to be gone for two weeks coming up soon so I won't be able to update for a while. Thought I'd let you know if you're wondering what the heck happened to me!

To, Helena: Thanks again for helping me fix my mistakes. It's great to have a second opinion when it comes to proof reading!

To, Azure Rose: Thanks for the message. I guess I was a little disappointed by the lack of reviews, because I really love this fic, and I thought it was one of my best so far. That's okay though. I'm glad you like it, and I hope you do well on your exams! Good luck!

To, Tabbycat: I hope this chapter equals the others!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, and I have never claimed to.

Don't forget to review!

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 8: The Eyes Of Darkness

_Ken Ichijouji_

"Ken, is there something on your mind?" Wormon asked. The two of them slowly made their way through the trees at a slow pace. A warm wind rustled the leaves around him and Ken stopped in a large patch of shade.

"No, not really," he said quickly.

Wormon gave him a look, and Ken sighed. He should have known. His digimon knew him better than he knew himself, and Wormon could always tell when something was bothering him.

"I'm not really sure," he finally said. He seated himself by a tree and gently stroked Wormon's head with affection. Wormon climbed into his lap and the digimon rested his head against Ken's stomache.

"You've seemed troubled ever since you got here," Wormon said. The digimon gave him an encouraging look as if it would help him to speak about his fears.

Ken smiled slightly and hugged Wormon tightly. The warmth of his digimon's small body nestled against him was a welcome comfort. _At least someone cares about what's happening to me. _The thought made him frown. _I guess that's not entirely true. How can the others show concern if they don't even know what's going on?_

"I know," he said softly. "It's just...I don't know. Maybe I really am getting sick or something. I just don't feel right."

"Whatever you do, Ken, don't bring your lunch up in this direction!"

Ken laughed. Wormon always knew how to make him feel better.

"Are you sure that's all it is?" Wormon looked up at him. The digimon's large eyes were filled with concern, and he seemed anxious.

He nodded, but his heart was filled with guilt. Earlier, he had been ready and willing to tell Wormon. But seeing the digimon now, he just could not bring himself to make his partner worry.

There was a sudden soft sound behind him, and Ken froze. He quickly jumped up and turned to stare at the trees off to his right.

"Did you hear that?" He whispered. It took tremendous effort to keep the fear out of his voice, but somehow he managed it.

Wormon frowned in confusion. "Hear what?"

The woods remained silent. "It was probably just the wind," he said after a long moment. There was a slight tremble in his voice, and he quickly closed his mouth. _What if it's that voice I heard yesterday? Could it have followed me here to the Digital World? _The thought made his heart race, and he backed up away from where the sound had come from.

"Ken-" Wormon started to say, but Ken held up a hand for silence. That sound. He had heard it again. It sounded like someone was creeping through the trees towards him.

_"...Ken..."_

Ken swallowed a gasp. The eerie voice seemed to be coming from all around them. He was trapped.

"Did you hear it that time?" He hissed. He took another step back and gazed fearfully around him.

"What are you talking about? I didn't hear anything," Wormon insisted. The little digimon was starting to sound very frightened.

"You must have!" Ken quickly shut his mouth when he realized that he was starting to sound hysterical.

Wormon gaped at him with a startled expression. "Ken!" His partner whispered in horror. "Are you hearing voices again?"

They stared silently at each other, and Ken shivered.

"Ken?" Wormon said timidly.

Ken ignored him and gazed nervously around at the woods. _Is it just me or are the woods starting to grow darker? _He slowly started to edge further away from the trees his breath coming in short spurts. The shadows around him seemed to grow thicker, and yet the sun's position had not changed. Even the air was starting to feel colder. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest, and his knees almost gave out.

"..._Ken...Emperor...join us..."_

"No," he whispered. _I won't! Never again. Please don't let this be happening. Please let this be a nightmare. _He took several more steps back, and he walked into something that was warm, solid, and alive..._no!_

He let out an eardrum shattering scream and whirled around. He fully expected to see some horrible apparition from the bowels of hell reaching towards him so it could suck out his soul. Instead, he found himself gazing at a familar face and froze.

"T.K.!" He gasped.

T.K. turned his head to one side and regarded him with a level blue gaze. "Is something wrong?" The blond asked. His tone was mild, and his expression was hard to read.

Ken felt himself turn bright red in the face. "N-noooo...," he stammered and winced at the stumble. He could have kicked himself. He hated the way he blushed whenever he was embarrassed. It made him feel extremely vulnerable.

T.K. didn't reply. His ocean blue gaze began to sparkle with amusement, and he started to smile.

Ken found himself stammering out an explanation. "You- you startled me, that's all. I-" He broke off and stared at the ground. His face felt like it was burning up, and it was all he could do not to run in the other direction. _I don't even want to know what he's thinking. I'm such an idiot. Why can't I ever just act like a normal person for once!_

Normally T.K. was very open about his feelings. That was why it made him so nervous that T.K. kept thoughts about him so hidden. It had to be because T.K. hated him and didn't want the others to know. Tears stung his eyes, and he quickly turned to gaze at the trees. They were silent, but they still made his skin crawl. It was better than looking at T.K. though.

T.K. leaned against the trunk of a tree, and Ken finally looked at him. T.K.'s blue gaze was focused on his face and they appeared serene. "What are you doing out here? I thought you went with Davis and the others to play soccer," his friend said evenly.

Ken just stared at him. _Is he actually trying to have a conversation with me? He never has conversations with me! In fact, now that I think about it, I don't believe we've even been alone together since we were fighting in my base... _He blushed at the thought and was thankful that T.K. could not hear the things his mind came up with. The thoughts made him sad. The only times they ever hung out together was when their other friends were with them. In that moment, he wanted more than anything just to talk with T.K. without the others always being around.

Ken realized that he should probably say something and blurted the first thing that came to his head. "I didn't feel like playing so I went for a walk instead."

T.K. nodded and turned away from him to gaze at the sunny sky.

"What are you doing here?" He blurted before he could stop himself. _I thought he went to play hide-and-seek with Kari._

T.K.'s eyes roamed back to his face and the blond smiled. "Hiding. I guess those little digimon are still looking for us."

"Yeah. We're good at hiding!" Patamon laughed. The little digimon flapped his ears and gave Ken an adorable smile.

"Oh," he said lamely, feeling self-conscious.

An awkward silence fell, but T.k. didn't seem to notice. The blond stepped closer to him and gave him a warm smile. "Have a nice walk?"

"Huh?" Ken stared at him in confusion.

T.K. raised an eyebrow. "You know, the walk you went on earlier?"

"Oh, right," Ken stuttered. "It was...nice." He watched the shadows roll across T.K.'s face and shivered.

"What?" T.K. asked and gave him a curious look.

Ken glanced once more around the clearing and rubbed his arms. "Nothing," he said softly.

A twig snapped nearby, and Ken leaped back nearly stepping on T.K.'s foot.

"You sure are jumpy today!" Patamon laughed. The little digimon jumped onto his head, and Ken stared at him in shock. Usually Patamon only reserved this much affection for Kari or Cody, other then T.K., of course.

He glanced at T.K., but to his complete shock, T.K. gave Patamon barely a glance. The blond didn't look at all surprised by Patamon's behaviour.

Ken didn't have a chance to analyse it though because Davis and the others suddenly stepped out of the trees. They were followed by a group of baby digimon who squealed in excitement at the sight of T.K.

Davis and the others halted and stared at them in surprise. It was obvious that they had not expected to find him with T.K. Ken couldn't blame them. He was just as surprised as they were.

"T.K.! Ken!" Kari blurted out. "Is everything alright?"

Before Ken could answer, T.K. stepped up beside him and gave Kari a smile. "Of course. Why wouldn't things be alright?"

The others exchanged looks. "Well, we heard someone scream, and we thought maybe someone was in trouble," Davis said. He gave T.K. a suspicious look.

"Really? Well, I didn't hear anything," T.K. replied innocently.

Ken's mouth fell open, and he gaped at T.K. _I don't believe it! T.K.'s lying for me!_

"Are you sure?" Kari asked and glanced between the two of them.

"I'm sure," T.K. replied. He gave her a smile that could have lit up a dungeon. Unbelievable. T.K. was not only lying for him, but he was lying to Kari of all people! He felt a sudden need to sit down.

T.K. turned to him and gave him his most angelic look. "Did you hear anything?"

"No," he managed to squeak.

Davis didn't look convinced, but his best friend shrugged and turned towards the trees. "Come on, guys. We better head back if we want to be home in time for supper."

They started off back through the trees. Hesitant to follow, Ken turned to find that T.K. was watching him with a smile on his face.

"Next time try not to scream so loud, okay? We don't want the others to think that the Digital World's being invaded again, do we? Then again, that would be funny. I can imagine the look on Davis's face when he finds out it was all a mistake!"

Ken blushed and lowered his eyes to the ground. "Um...thanks, T.K...for...you know..."

"What? Saving you from utter embarrassment?" T.K. laughed and then smiled softly. "Don't mention it." He turned and started after the others with Patamon trailing behind him. At the edge of the clearing, the blond stopped and turned to face him again.

"By the way, you owe me," he teased and continued on again.

Ken watched his friend disappear and found himself smiling. He felt like he was in a daze. That's when he realized that T.K. had given him his full attention twice in the same day. It was a record.


	9. Walking Shadows

I've got another chapter for this one! It might be less then two weeks, we're not sure how long yet, but I figured I'd play it safe. We'll see though. Don't worry, I'll be back to my fics in no time!

To, Shi Rurouni: We'll just have to see! Truthfully I don't write the story, it writes itself and I go along with the ride!

To, Azure Rose: It's hot in Canada! Don't believe the stories about living in igloos. I'm sweating to death! Actually, I wish I did live in an igloo. That would be so nice right about now! As for Ken and T.K., you can make them anything you want to make them!

To, Helena: Again some help with then and than please! Thanks, you're a lifesaver!

To, tabbycat: I hope you had a great time in DC! I love this next chapter and I hope you do, too!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Please review! I promise I don't bite!

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 9: Walking Shadows

_Ken Ichijouji_

"Can you believe Mr. Ono actually gave me another detention?" Davis ranted.

Ken rubbed his eyes, trying to keep them open, as he and Davis headed towards the cafeteria.

"I'm telling you, it was just revenge because he couldn't get me for the frog incident."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have been playing soccer indoors and he wouldn't have. You're just giving him ammunition to use against you," he replied, doing his best to pay attention.

"Yeah, to top it off, he's making me do that worm dissection again. Do you think I could practice on Wormon?" Davis asked.

"Don't even think about it," he retorted. "You're lucky Wormon didn't see what you did the last time! He would have had a heart attack! I'm outraged for his sake!"

"Whatever." Davis rolled his eyes and grinned at him. The two of them entered the lunch room and found Kari, Cody, and Yolei already seated.

"Hey, dudes," Davis said, plopping into a chair. Yolei crossed her arms and made a point of ignoring him. She had practically had a seizure when she had found out about his latest detention.

Ken glanced around and frowned. _I wonder where T.K. is._ There was no basketball meeting that day. He was itching to ask, but he was afraid of how the others might react. After all, normally he didn't go around asking after the blond. It was strange, but he couldn't explain his sudden awareness of his blond friend. Ever since T.K. had started to show a sudden interest in him, he had not been able to help it. Then again, maybe he was only seeing what he wanted to see.

After a moment, T.K. appeared in the lunch room and headed towards them. Ken quickly lowered his eyes to the table and proceeded to watch T.K. from beneath his lashes.

"Hey, T.K. Where have you been?" Cody asked.

T.K. blinked at the younger boy as if confused. Finally he seemed to realize that Cody was talking to him, and he smiled rather weakly. "Oh...nowhere. I was just finishing up something for class."

Ken raised his eyebrows as his blond friend sat down in the seat beside him.

"Dude, you've got to be joking. We do enough school work in this place and now you're doing it at lunch, too?" Davis snorted loudly. "Whatever, T.B."

T.K. sat staring at his hands and did not reply.

Ken looked up at him in surprise. T.K. was usually a lot more talkative at the lunch table. Kari, who sat on T.K.'s other side, gave the blond a look of concern. Ken couldn't blame her. He felt concerned for T.K., too. _It looks like I'm not the only one who thinks there's something wrong with this picture._

"Homework, I bet," he muttered to himself. _But if he wasn't doing homework then...what in the Digiworld was he doing?_

Davis suddenly turned to him and gave him a look. "Speaking of running off, how come you weren't playing soccer in the Digiworld with us yesterday?" His friend demanded.

Ken stared off across the cafeteria unable to meet his friend's gaze. "I didn't...feel like it." _Well that was convincing. I'm sure Davis is really going to believe that!_ Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw T.K.'s gaze flick over in his direction, but when he turned towards the other boy, T.K.'s eyes were hidden by a veil of thick, gold lashes.

Davis's eyes narrowed into an expression of deep suspicion. Ken couldn't blame him. His excuse had sounded pretty lame even to him.

"What were you and T.J. doing?" Davis asked, and he glanced between the two of them.

"Nothing. We ran into each other, that's all." T.K.'s expression looked strained, and Ken glanced at him feeling uneasy. Something odd was going on here.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Davis asked.

Ken looked down and found himself trying to scramble out of his seat. "I...um...have to do something," he stammered, refusing to meet his friend's steady gaze. He sprinted towards the door, his heart pounding, and purposely avoided looking at T.K. He could hear Davis shouting something after him, but he did not bother to stop and listen.

_T.K. Takaishi_

"Where does he think he's going?" Yolei demanded. She sent a dirty look at the door Ken had just exited and frowned. "We're not even finished eating yet!"

T.K. stared at the door and did his best not to panic. Something was wrong with Ken, and if he didn't get out of here soon, the others were going to figure out that there was something going on between them. He didn't think Ken wanted them to know, and he was willing to stay silent for his friend's sake. Besides, it would take a lot of explaining on his part about why he had not said anything sooner, and he didn't have the patience to deal with that right now. What he wanted was to be alone. Either that, or find Ken and figure out what was wrong with him. _I'm not going to let him get himself hurt. _

He quickly stood up and Kari stared at him in surprise. "T.K., what's wrong?" She asked.

He managed to give her a reassuring smile and glanced at the door again. "Nothing. I...um...there's something I have to do. I'll catch you guys later, okay?"

"Excuse me?" Yolei glared at him. "First Ken and now you? What ever happened to having some manners! We're suppose to be having a nice friendly lunch here!"

T.K. shrugged and sent her an apologetic look. "Sorry. I'll make it up to you guys another time. See you later." Before anyone else had a chance to speak, he quickly left the lunch room and went searching for Ken.

_Ken Ichijouji_

Breathing hard, Ken collapsed against a sink in the boy's bathroom and closed his eyes. _What had that been about? Why did T.K. seem so uneasy? _He sighed and turned on the tap splashing cold water on his face. The sweat on his forehead cooled, but it did not help as much as he thought it would. _Now I'm just being stupid. For all I know, T.K. could have been worried about an upcoming test or something._

"Not everyone is as crazy as you are," he muttered to himself. _I guess Davis and the others had noticed I was missing yesterday after all. _Unfortunately, they also seemed to have caught on that something was wrong. It looked like Wormon wasn't the only one to notice anymore.

He reached forward to turn the tap back on, and he blinked in surprise when nothing came out. "That's strange," he murmured. He tried it again and still nothing happened. Just as he was about to turn away, that strange muffled static sound filled the air and the tap started to drip. Ken felt an icy hand close around his heart.

"No," he whispered, backing up. _Not again. Please not again! _

Something moved out of the corner of his eyes, and he jerked around in fear. He spotted two glowing red eyes gazing at him from one of the stalls. Those eyes were peeking through a partially opened door, and Ken realized in horror that there was another red eyed shadow behind the first one. Suddenly, the creature's long black arm snaked it's way towards him, and his blood froze.

Letting out a strangled cry, Ken raced down the aisle and hurtled himself into the last stall. He slammed the door behind himself, and he quickly locked it. Then, he banged the lid of the seat down and collapsed onto the toilet. He pulled up his legs, shivering, and did his best not to cry. "Go away," he whispered tearfully, and buried his face against his knees. _Why is this happening to me? Why can't they just leave me alone? _Over the pounding of his own heart, he could still hear that horrible scratching noise ringing in his ears. The back of his neck hurt, and he felt like he was going to faint from pure terror. "Stop!" He sobbed, tears running down his cheeks. He looked down and almost choked on his own tears. The hands were still reaching towards him. He could see their shadowy forms slithering along the floor beneath the stalls with their fingers flexing. It was only a matter of time before they grabbed him...

Ken jumped a mile high at the sound of the bathroom door opening. To his complete shock, the dark creatures disappeared and the static noise abruptly stopped. He froze and held his breath. Footsteps sounded on the tile floor as whoever it was stepped over to the sinks. Thankfully, the stall he was hiding in couldn't be seen from the sink so the guy would think the bathroom was empty. There was no way he wanted anyone to see him in his current condition or even know he was there. He sat as still as he could and strained his ears to listen. _I'll just have to wait it out until the guy leaves. _

He blinked in surprise as the guy let out a soft sigh and turned on the tap. He closed his eyes and felt a sudden irrational hatred towards the other boy. _Oh sure, the taps work perfectly for him. He doesn't have to worry about static or evil hands. It's a regular tap for him just like it should be for me! _

"What am I going to do?" A male voice said softly. It sounded rather loud in the silence that followed after he shut off the water.

Ken clapped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from gasping aloud. The voice belonged to T.K. _What is he doing here? He's suppose to be at the lunch table! If T.K. catches me like this, there's no telling what might happen! _T.K. would think he was going nuts for sure, and at this point, he was about ready to agree. There was no way he was going to be able to face that kind of humiliation. He did not want T.K. to know how scared he was. Truthfully, he did not think T.K. would even care. A sense of panic filled him again, and it was all he could do not to flee from the bathroom as fast as his legs would carry him.

T.K. let out a sudden soft moan, and Ken leaned forward to listen. He felt curious in spite of himself. _What's wrong with him?_

"Why is this happening to me?" T.K. whispered to himself.

_What could T.K. possibly have to feel upset about_? Sadly, there was no denying that his friend sounded sad and worried.

Concerned, Ken moved closer stiil and heard another soft sigh escape his friend's lips. There was a sound of rustling clothes as T.K. leaned against the sink, or so he assumed since he couldn't actually see the other boy.

"How am I going to figure out what's wrong with him if I can't even find him?" T.K. murmured. "What if it's...no...it can't be. We couldn't...it just doesn't make sense. But...I have to know." T.K. fell silent. Ken sat there as if he had been turned to stone. _There's no way. T.K. can't be talking about me...can he? No. Even if by some miracle T.K. had figured it out, there's no way he can know exactly what it is._

T.K.'s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Why don't you just ask him like Angemon said," the blond muttered to himself. "What harm could it do?" T.K. fell silent for a moment and then spoke softly. "That's what I'm afraid of."

_He's not talking about me. He's not! _The same words kept echoing through his head as if chanting them would somehow make it true. He squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath. He waited in silence as T.K. used the facilities, washed his hands, and left the bathroom closing the door behind him.

Ken waited what seemed like hours, and was probably only a few muinutes, before stepping out of the stall. His chest felt tight, and he couldn't seem to stop swallowing the lumps in his throat. _T.K. must have been talking about someone else. He would never be afraid to ask me anything. Besides, T.K. could care less how I feel. He would never make so much of an effort for my sake. _The thought made him relieved, and yet, at the same time, it made him sad. Remembering the black hands, he quickly left the bathroom determind not to look back.


	10. Biology Partners

I'm back! Sorry about the wait. I hope you like this next chapter.

Sorry about any mistakes I missed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 10: Biology Partners

_Ken Ichijouji_

Ken hurried into biology class, gasping for breath, just as the final bell rang. He let out a sigh of relief. _Finally! At least something has gone right for me today! Well...almost._ He flinched under Mr.Ono's dirty glance and meekly shuffled over to his seat.

"Dude, Where were you?" Davis asked, sounding surprised. "I'm the one who's always suppose to be late."

Ken barely heard him and did not reply. His violet eyes were glued to T.K.'s handsome face. _Does he have any idea of what I had witnessed in that bathroom? Does he know that I was in there? _That thought made him tremble, and he all but fell into the seat across from his blond friend and beside Kari.

T.K. was currently staring out the window beside their table and seemed completely oblivious of his stare. This did not make him breath any easier. If anything, it made him even more nervous.

"Alright," Mr. Ono said loudly, waving a hand to get everyone's attention. "I want you all to copy the note on the board that I'm going to write down, and then I want you to do questions one to ten in your textbooks."

Ken quickly opened his textbook and managed to stifle a yawn. Last night had been filled with nightmares and little sleep. He knew he looked terrible, but there was not really anything he could do about it.

"You didn't answer my question. Where were you all this time?" Davis asked, turning to T.K. He was seated next to the blond and poked T.K. in the arm to get the other boy's attention.

T.K. shrugged and lowered his troubled gaze to the table. Ken immediately felt a wave of concern for his friend. _Why is he so upset?_

"Fine!" Davis huffed. The goggled headed leader turned to him instead. "Alright, Ken. Where have you been?"

"Bathroom," he said quickly, without thinking.

T.K.'s biology textbook hit the floor with a loud smack, and Ken jumped at the noise.

Startled, he looked up and found T.K. staring at him with wide frightened eyes. He realized what he had said and felt his heart stop. _I didn't just say that, did I? I did! I just admitted to T.K. that I'd been in the bathroom with him! Now he's going to know that I heard everything he had said! _Feeling horrified, he quickly averted his eyes from his blond friend. T.K. was going to think he had been eavesdropping and hate him forever. _But I hadn't been! It was an accident! _Unfortunately T.K. probably would not see it that way. Another thought struck him, and he felt his blood run cold. _What if T.K. had been talking about me and now he knows that I know!_

"You couldn't have been!" T.K. blurted, and to Ken's surprise, his friend's face turned pink. "I was alone in there! I know I was! Otherwise I wouldn't have said-" T.K. abruptly broke off and hastily picked up his textbook. The blond avoided everyone's eyes and quickly began to flip through the pages of his book.

Ken stared at him in shock. He had never seen T.K. act so strange before. _Why is he acting so frightened? Is he afraid of me, or is he afraid of what I might have heard? Why is he blushing? T.K. never blushes unless Yolei and Kari are giggling over how good-looking he is. T.K. admitted in the bathroom that something was wrong with him. It looks like I'm not the only one who's hiding something. _That thought frightened him, and he quickly opened his textbook to keep his hands from shaking. There was something very strange going on, and he had a horrible feeling it was going to make T.K. despise him even more than he already did.

"I used the one upstairs on my way to the library," he said hesitantly, carefully choosing his words. "I was going to get some books for a project." _How could I have just lied to him like that? No wonder T.K. doesn't want to be friends with me. I don't deserve his friendship. _There was nothing he could do about it now. Instead, he swallowed his guilt, which felt like a stone settling in his heart, and turned his face away from T.K.'s penetrating gaze.

"Why does it matter which bathroom he used?" Davis asked, eyeing T.K. with suspicion.

"It doesn't," T.K. mumbled, but there was unmistakable relief in his eyes.

Ken felt the huge lump of guilt inside him grow larger. The thought that T.K. could be afraid of him made his heart ache.

Davis and Kari exchanged a look. It was plain that the pair did not believe T.K. for a minute, but neither one seemed egar to press the issue.

They both turned to look at him, and he blushed. Both Kari and Davis would have to be stupid not to realize that there was something going on between himself and T.K. Neither one of them was stupid, and he had a feeling it was only a matter of time before they made it their own personal mission to figure out what it was that had T.K. and himself on edge. It was a disaster waiting to happen, but thankfully, this time, Kari and Davis stayed silent. _But what exactly is going on between myself and T.K.? Even I don't know! _That, more than anything, he wanted to understand. Unfortunately that sort of thing had never stopped Davis and Kari before. _They'll probably know before I do. _It was a bitter thought.

"T.K., aren't you going to write down the note?" Kari asked, watching him with concern.

T.K., who had been staring out the window again, blinked and turned towards the table. "Huh? Oh...right."

The blond quickly began to write down the note, and Ken watched him with a sort of awed fascination. He had never seen T.K. so rattled before. Ever since he had known T.K., his friend had always been so in control of his emotions. _Not like me. _Had his presence really affected T.K. that much? He smiled at the thought and Davis's voice rang in his ears.

"Ken, dude, aren't you going to write down the note, too? Even I'm writing it down, and I don't do homework!"

He blushed and quickly pulled out a sheet of paper. He could feel Davis's eyes on him, and he made a point of ignoring his best friend.

"Ken?"

He looked up. Davis leaned across the table and touched his arm. His friend's dark eyes were full of concern and uneasiness. "Hey, Ken," he said slowly. "You know you can tell me anything. If there's something wrong..." Davis trailed off and gave him an uncertain look.

He felt his eyes fill with tears. _Why do I always have to hurt everyone that I care about? Oh, Davis. You know I would tell you if I wasn't so afraid of losing you..._"I know," he tried to say, but his voice came out barely above a whisper. If Davis knew he was suffering from the darkness, maybe this time his friend would not be so willing to stick around. _If darkness claims me, I'll lose my friends forever._

T.K. suddenly glanced between the two of them his face a mask of emotion. "Davis," he said quietly. "I envy you sometimes. You really don't know how lucky you are."

Davis stared at T.K. in shock. He appeared to have lost his ability to speak. Kari blinked at T.K. in surprise, and Ken felt his face heat up. _What exactly is T.K. getting at? Wait. Does this have something to do with me? T.K. never gets jealous of Davis! Usually it's the other way around!_ The thought stunned him into silence and a small spark of hope welled up inside of him.

Davis finally got his voice box back and glanced between himself and T.K. "What do you mean?"

T.K. sighed, and his sparkling blue eyes filled with sudden sadness. "Nevermind," he muttered.

Davis fell silent and stared at the table. He seemed humbled by T.K.'s remark, and he kept glancing sideways at the blond with confusion.

Ken had never seen T.K. display so many emotions in front of him before. _Am I the cause of his sadness? Could he really care about me after all? _

"Alright," Mr. Ono said loudly, interrupting his thoughts. "You all have biology projects coming up, and I'm going to be picking your partners. You have two weeks to complete them, and I want your topics in by Monday with a completed outline for your project. We discussed possible topics last week so you know what you have to do."

"Why can't we pick our own partners?" a girl at the front complained loudly.

"Dude! You've got to be kidding me! We've got another project?" Davis shouted at the top of his lungs.

Ken gave his friend a sympathetic smile. Davis looked ready to cry.

"Be quiet, Mr.Motomiya!" Mr. Ono snapped. "You knew very well that we had projects coming up so don't act so surprised!" Clearing his throat loudly, Mr. Ono began to read off a list of names looking pleased with himself.

Ken tuned him out and gave Davis a disappointed look. Usually they got to pick their own partners, and he always went with Davis. The thought of being stuck with someone he did not know very well made his stomache flutter nervously. He hated being forced to make conversation with someone who knew nothing about him. It made him feel awkward and insecure. He looked up and spotted T.K. and Kari exchanging disappointed looks. Those two were always partners like Davis and himself were.

"He's enjoying this way too much," Davis whispered, watching the evil smile on Mr. Ono's face. The rest of the class was glaring at Davis convinced that this was a result of the frog fiasco and Ono's way of getting revenge.

Davis just stared defiantly back at them. That was one thing you could say for Davis. He never backed down no matter how much he screwed up.

"Mr. Motomiya."

Davis straightened up as Mr.Ono turned to him with an evil gleam in his eyes.

"Your partner will be Kari Kamiya."

Davis looked like he had been hit by a hurricane. "Are you serious?" His friend's eyes lit up with excitement.

Mr. Ono glared at him suspiciously and immediately Davis let out a loud groan. "I mean...that's so unfair! There's no way I want to work with her!"

Mr. Ono's face filled with a look of satisfaction. He was positively bursting with glee at his successful attempt to ruin Davis's day. The man could be totally clueless sometimes. The rest of their classmates were currently trying to stifle their laughs. They knew very well how Davis felt about Kari. Apparently the frog incident had been forgiven. Their hatred for Ono far surpassed their anger at Davis, and by staying silent about Kari, they could get back at their horrible teacher with a vengeance. Ono was sure to have a heart attack if he ever found out. No doubt someone would tell him after the projects were handed in and marked.

"Can you believe this?" Davis whispered, barely containing himself from jumping out of his seat with joy. "What an idiot!"

Ken was inclined to agree though he wasn't surprised. Ono was a miserable old bachelor who would not recognize love if his life depended on it.

"Isn't this great, Kari?" Davis whispered, smiling at her from across the table.

"Right," Kari replied, watching him warily.

"And here I thought I was going to be stuck with T.B.!"

T.K. gave him a dirty look and stared quietly at the table.

Ken sighed. He had a feeling T.K. was pretty upset that Kari had ended up with Davis.

"Hey, I'm just kidding," Davis said, reaching out to put an arm around T.K.

T.K. shrugged and managed a vague smile. His mind seemed to be somewhere else at the moment.

"Ken."

He jumped at the sound of his name and felt his heart sink. _Great. What stranger am I going to end up with?_

Mr. Ono looked at his attendance list and frowned. "You'll be paired with T.K. Takaishi."

Ken froze. He felt like an entire building had just come crashing down on top of him. He stared at Mr. Ono with his mouth hanging open. _This can't be happening to me. This has to be another nightmare. We can't be partners! How will we even be able to communicate? We barely even speak to each other under regular circumstances! _That, unfortunately, was not the worst of it. If he was T.K.'s partner, then that meant that he would have to spend a lot of time around his blond friend. What if he somehow gave away what was happening to him? T.K. obviously had some suspicions, and it was impossible to deny that anymore. What if he let something slip that would enable T.K. to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. Their sorry excuse for a friendship would be ruined, and if that happened, he would never recover. Even though T.K. did not put that much effort into their friendship, he was desperate to hang onto any shred of it that was left. This biology project could prove to be the thing that broke the last thin threads holding their relationship together. He could not really explain how he knew that T.K.'s awareness of the situation would ruin things. It was just a feeling. T.K. had no love for darkness, and if his friend knew that even after all this time he still could not escape it, it would destroy his last chance of breaching the wall between them. The sound of his heartbeat roared in his ears, and despite his efforts not to look, his gaze fell on T.K. The thoughts running through his head were filled with pure terror.

T.K. slowly looked up at him. His friend's blue gaze was hard to read, but Ken could feel his friend's surprise at Ono's choice. Unfortunately he was not able to detect any other emotion.

The sound of the school bell ringing startled him, and he almost dropped his textbook which he had not realized that he was trying to shove into his bag.

"Davis, if you think for one second that I'm going to do all the work on this project forget it!" Kari said, frowning as she stood up.

"Is that what you think of me?" Davis put an arm around her and grinned. "So, your place or mine?"

Looking indignant, Kari pushed his arm away and stomped out of the room.

"Your place then?" Davis called out, running after her with a hopeful expression on his face.

Ken managed to shove his book into his bag with shaking hands and felt the first stabs of panic. They had left him alone with T.K. Davis had been so caught up in his own excitement that he had not even noticed who his best friend had been paired up with. Kari, too, had been so distracted by Davis that she had not realized a thing. He had to get out of there and fast.

He grabbed his backpack and stumbled away from his chair, but somehow T.K. had managed to circle the table and intercepted him before he had a chance to make his escape. T.K. caught his arm and he was forced to stop.

"Ken, listen," T.K. said softly, his blue gaze growing cloudy. "About this-"

Ken jerked his arm away, and T.K. broke off in mid sentence.

He could not stand it. He could not stand T.K. looking at him like that with such little expression. It was unnerving, and it terrified him more than any creature of darkness ever could.

"Don't," he whispered.

T.K.'s eyes filled with confusion, but Ken did not give him a chance to speak. His world felt like it was crumbling around him, and he was powerless to stop it. He did the only thing he could think of to escape. He ran. Unfortunately his terror went with him.

_T.K. Takaishi_

T.K. gazed after Ken with shock. _What had Ken been trying to tell me? _He had a strange feeling that Ken had been lying to him earlier. Had his friend really been in another bathroom like he claimed, or had Ken heard every word that he had said? If so, then Ken knew that there was something very wrong with him. _Does Ken know I was talking about him? _T.K. felt his heart sink. Of course Ken knew. Why else would he have run away? It explained everything. A deep sadness settled in his soul. Ken's strange behaviour was because of him. Now that Ken knew he was aware that there was something going on between them, his friend would never want to mend their friendship. _I know there's something up with Ken, and he knows I know. Now that he's aware there's something going on with me, he's going to come to the same conclusion. They must be connected somehow, and if I knew what was up, I could understand better what's going on with him, too. But he doesn't want that, ever. _Suddenly he knew exactly how Ken felt about him. His own friend was utterly afraid of him and there was nothing he could do about it.


	11. The Devil And The Angel

Okay, I hope everyone likes this chapter because the next one will be even better!

To: Azure Roze, Yum! I like cookies!

To: tabycat, Thanks for the compliment and here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 11: The Devil And The Angel

Ken sat huddled against the wall, in the cool shade of the alley's overhang, with his knees drawn up to his chest and his forehead resting against them. He had never felt so miserable in his life. No matter how hard he tried, he could not forget the lack of emotion in T.K.'s expression. How could he face his friend ever again knowing that T.K. had figured everything out? It was plainly obvious that T.K. did not want to be his biology partner.

"So you ran like the coward you are," he muttered to himself. Tears filled his midnight blue eyes and the pavement swam before him. It wasn't fair. After everything he had been through, he was still being denied the friendship he wanted so badly. It just seemed so wrong. He slowly got to his feet, wiping at his long, dark eyelashes, and glanced at the building behind him. _School has been out for at least twenty minutes by now. It should be safe to go to my locker. _Ever since biology he had spent the rest of the day avoiding T.K., and he had not once seen his blond friend. Unfortunately his locker happened to be right between Davis's and T.K.'s. That was why he had been waiting to go there until he was sure T.K. had left. The thought of meeting up with his friend again made him feel sick to his stomache. He made his way to the school entrance, sighing loudly, when a dark shape caught his attention.

"Who's there?" He snapped, pressing his back against the school wall and gazing frantically around himself. No one answered. A dark cloud suddenly passed over the sun plunging the alley into darkness. His heart rate sped up. There, at the corner furthest from him, stood a dark black shape with angry red glowing eyes.

"_You don't need him," _a soft voice whispered. "_We'll be your friends."_ The dark shape began to advance towards him, and Ken's mind exploded with panic.

"Stay away!" He shrieked, cold sweat trickling down his back between his shoulder blades.

A soft laugh escaped the creature's throat. "_Join us, Ken. You know you want to," _the thing whispered, reaching out an arm towards him. "_Our master is waiting for you. Feel the darkness...sweet lovely darkness..."_

"No!" Ken screamed, covering his ears and gasping for breath as a sob escaped his throat. His heart felt ready to burst out of his rib cage and the waves of darkness surging from the creature seemed to be reaching towards him.

"_Don't be sad_," the dark shape whispered, stopping about a foot from his trembling form. "_You don't need him anyway."_

Ken let out a whimper and shrank back against the wall. "How do you know what I'm thinking?" His voice came out as a hoarse croak filled with fear. _How can they possibly know about T.K.?_

The creature laughed, and though Ken could not distinguish any facial features, he was sure the thing was smiling.

"_We know everything about you, Ken," _it whispered, lurching forward. "We are your darkness. We are your life. Embrace us."

"No," Ken moaned, feeling horrified. The darkness was going to get him and this time there would be no escape. The thing reached out and touched him, stroking his arm. It's blazing red eyes were filled with hunger, and it's other hand reached out touching the back of his neck. Immediately a searing pain shot up his spine, and he screamed in agony. All of the strength seemed to leave his body, and he did not even have enough energy left to pull his arm away. He closed his eyes against the blinding pain, tears of defeat running in rivulets down his face. It was over. The darkness would claim him, and he was going to be lost forever. _I'm never going to get the chance to tell my family and friends how much I love them. I'll never get to tell Davis what a great best friend he is. I'll never get a chance to fix things with T.K. and let him know how much his friendship means to me..._

"No!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Finding a strength he did not know he had, he ripped his arm away from the dark entity. He glared at the creature with hatred and his face twisted in anger. "Not again! Not this time! I won't let you control me so leave me alone!"

Ken thought he was dead for sure, but to his surprise, the thing gave him a murderous look that promised revenge and disappeared. He blinked at the sudden sunshine emerging from behind a cloud and collapsed against the pavement in a trembling heap. He could not lie to himself anymore. It was getting worse. The darkness was returning and there was nothing he could do to stop it. This time he been lucky. Next time he might not be. "What am I going to do?" He whispered, letting the tears fall freely down his face. He sat there for a long time and his fear swirled within him like a tornado until he was sure he would go mad with terror. _Who is their master? _

Finally, when he felt sure he had gotten sufficient control of his emotions, he wiped his eyes and slowly stood up. He headed towards the school and managed to reach his locker without further incident. Once there, he collapsed against it in relief and held onto it's cold metal surface as if it were a lifeline. _I won't become the Emperor again. They'll have to kill me first._

He sucked in a load of air, taking deep calming breaths, and a warm hand gentle touched his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" He snapped, whirling around to deck the next black shape that caught his eye. The words died in his throat as he came face to face with T.K.'s shocked expressive blue eyes. _What have I done?_

"T.K.!" He gasped, clapping a hand to his mouth. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean that! I was..." He trailed off, horrified by what he had said, and stared at the floor unable to continue.

A loud suffocating silence fell, and Ken felt his heart sink. _You've really done it this time, haven't you, Ken, _his thoughts shouted at him.

"It's alright," T.K. said quietly, his face growing expressionless.

Ken winced and then frowned in confusion. _That's funny. _He could have sworn for a moment there that T.K. had looked hurt. _Yeah right. T.K. could care less what I think of him. I really am going crazy._

"What are you still doing here?" He blurted and winced again at his own words. _Why can't I learn to think before saying something!_

T.K. stared at him for a moment. "Basketball practice," his friend said calmly.

_Of course! How could I have been so stupid? _T.K. did not have a meeting at lunch today because he had practice. _How could I have forgotten something like that? _"Right, of course," he managed to stammer, mentally kicking himself.

An awkward silence fell. Abruptly T.K. turned to his locker and spun the dial on his lock. Ken watched him feeling uncomfortable. He wished he could disappear on the spot. At the moment, he wished that he could be anywhere but where he was right now, especially after what had happened earlier. His throat closed up and, once again, he found himself unable to look at T.K.

"Ken?"

He froze at the sound of T.K.'s muffled voice coming from inside the locker and swallowed a lump of fear.

There was a brief pause, and then T.K. said quietly, "Why is your face all puffy?"

Ken literally felt his heart stop. _Stupid! _He had completely forgotten that he had been crying earlier and that the effects must still show on his face.

"The heat," he said quickly, his voice coming out as a squeak.

T.K. leaned around the door of the locker and regarded him with cool blue eyes. The blond's gaze felt as if it was boring into his soul. A deep blush started to rise against his pale cheeks, and he quickly looked away. _He doesn't believe me. _But to his complete surprise, instead of demanding a truthful answer, T.K.'s face softened into a warm smile. "Actually," his friend said gently. "I've been looking for you."

"What?" He said stupidly. _I must have heard wrong. T.K. has no reason to be looking for me._

"I was hoping to catch you before basketball practice. I figured you'd be gone if I waited until after. Luckily you're still here so it works out."

Ken felt his face heat up again. _What would T.K. say if he knew that I had been avoiding him? _"Really?" He asked tentatively, his voice sounding small.

"Yeah," T.K. said softly, moving closer to him. "I wanted to talk to you."

The panic inside of him started to well up again, and he took a step back. "About what?" He asked sharply.

T.K's blue gaze traveled over his face taking note of the distance Ken had put between them. Again silence fell.

"So...um...what is it?" He asked, trying to conceal his surprise and uneasiness. He was careful to soften his tone this time. _The last thing I need is to give T.K. a reason to hate me!_

T.K. closed his locker and leaned against it with his eyes on the floor. _Is it just me or is he avoiding my eyes?_

"I wanted to ask you about our biology project," T.K. said, his tone filled with hesitation.

For a moment Ken just stared at him, completely clueless as to what he was talking about, and then it hit him. T.K. was talking about the project Mr. Ono had assigned them. He had forgotten about it due to the events that had happened in the alley earlier. All of his fear and pain came rushing back in an instant. _How could I have been so stupid as to forget something like our project!_

"Oh that," he whispered. He could not look T.K. in the eye. Not after everything that had happened. _He's probably going to say I'm not good enough to be his partner or his friend._ Sudden tears stung his eyes, and he quickly turned away. "I have to go," he mumbled. "My mom's probably-"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over so we could work on our project tonight," T.K. said in a rush before he could finish his sentence.

Ken jerked his head around so fast that he was positive he heard his own neck crack. "What?" He blurted in utter disbelief. Of all the things he had been expecting T.K. to say, this definitely was not one of them. T.K. had never asked him something like this before. The words left him speechless.

He stared so long at the other boy with his mouth hanging open that T.K. started to smile.

"Since tomorrow's the weekend, I figured now would be a good time to start. You can stay at my place tonight," the blond said softly, his eyes sparkling under the lights. "That way we can get our other homework done, too."

Ken's entire body felt like it had been paralyzed. T.K. stared expectantly at him waiting for an answer.

"Sure," he said faintly. "I better go home first though. I have to get my stuff and let my parents know where I am."

"Okay, so I'll see you in about an hour then?" T.K. asked.

Ken nodded feeling dazed.

T.K. stared at him for a moment and studied his face. "Good," his friend said with a small smile. "That's what I was going to ask you earlier in biology."

Ken gave him a startled look, and T.K. raised an eyebrow. "What did you think I was going to say?" The blond murmured, watching him closely.

Ken blushed and quickly turned away with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I thought you'd like to know," T.K. said softly and put a hand on his shoulder. "See you tonight."

With a smile, T.K. turned and headed off down the hallway leaving Ken to stare after him in astonishment.


	12. TK's Secret

Shi Rurouni, No need for an apology. I hope you like this next chapter. It was tough to write.

Azure Rose, I agree. Mint chocolate ice cream. I could use some of that right about now!

Discaimer: I don't own Digimon.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 12: T.K.'s Secret

_Ken Ichijouji_

Exactly one hour later, Ken found himself standing outside T.K.'s apartment. He felt more nervous than he had in a long time. _How did events take such a sudden twist? _T.K. had never invited him over before unless Davis or one of the others was with him, and he had never spent the night at T.K.'s house either.

_What if he changes his mind? _He stared at the door for a moment and bit his lip. _The only reason he wants me over at his house is so we get that stupid project done. If it wasn't for Mr. Ono, he never would have asked me to come here._

He almost walked away, but a sudden thought stopped him. If he left now, it would give T.K. another excuse to treat him as if he was nothing more than a passing acquaintance. _Well, I can't stay out here forever. _He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, and rang the doorbell.

He waited in fearful silence, convinced T.K. would not open the door, and then his blond friend was standing before him with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Ken. Come on in," T.K. said, holding the door open for him.

Feeling shy, Ken stepped past T.K. into the apartment and glanced around uncertainly.

They headed for T.K.'s bedroom, and Ken dropped his stuff on the floor, feeling even more nervous. He had a nasty feeling that something horrible was going to happen and the night was going to end in disaster.

"Mom won't be home for a couple of hours still so I'll get us something to eat. I'll be back in a minute," T.K. said, smiling and leaving the room.

Ken slowly moved into the centre of the room, taking in his surroundings. The room was small, yet comfortable, and it had a cozy feel to it. It looked comfy, lived in, unlike his room which was always so neet it looked more like a hotel room than a teenage boy's room. The walls were white and covered in posters of T.K.'s favorite bands. The thick carpet was of a burgundy colour along with the drapes on the window. In the left corner of the room was T.K.'s double bed neatly made up in sheets the same colour as the carpet. Across from the bed, against the wall, was T.K.'s desk. It was cluttered with a computer, textbooks, paper, binders, pens, and who knew what else. The doors of T.K.'s closet on the right side of the room stood open revealing clothes hanging up, shoes on the ground, a guitar, several basketballs, books, and many other things. A nightstand by the bed held a lamp, alarm clock, and several framed photographs.

Glancing quickly at the open door, Ken made his way over to the nightstand to study the photos. One was an older photo of T.K., his brother Matt, and his parents. It had obviously been taken before the divorce. Ken smiled sadly. _Poor T.K. His life is a lot harder than most people realize. _The next one was a more recent picture of T.K. and Matt. They had an arm around each other, Matt's cheek resting against T.K.'s golden head, and both were smiling happily at the camera. Tears filled his eyes. He would have given anything to see himself with Sam in that picture. Despite the years, he still missed his brother deeply, and it brought a sadness to his heart to think of Sam. _I wonder if T.K. knows how lucky he is to have such an amazing older brother who cares so much about him. _Matt was always there if T.K. needed him, and T.K. was always there for Matt. There were so many things about T.K. that a person could envy, but he had only ever envied T.K. one thing, the brother his friend still had and cherished to this day. Unlike T.K., he would never see his brother in this lifetime again. Wiping at his eyes, Ken gently set the photo back on the nightstand and turned to the last one. This picture had been taken four years ago just after the defeat of MaloMyotismon. Davis, Yolei, T.K., Cody, Kari, and himself had their arms around each other and were smiling brilliantly at the camera. _I look so happy. I wonder why T.K. keeps this picture so close at hand. Is it because he really cares about us? If he does then...does that mean he cares about all of us? _Once again he found himself brushing tears away. _If only there was some way of knowing for sure._

There was the sound of footsteps in the hallway, and Ken quickly put the photo back on the nightstand.

"This should hold us until supper." T.K. dropped a bunch of snacks on the floor and promptly sat down, stretching out on his stomache.

He sat down in front of T.K. and nodded without looking at his friend.

"Where were you after school anyway? I was looking all over for you, but even Davis said he hadn't seen you," T.K. asked, sounding curious.

Ken stared at T.K.'s smiling face and could not help feeling just a little bit guilty. "I was just...finishing up some school work outside," he said quietly, hating himself for lying. To his relief, T.K. seemed to accept that explination.

"Did you get those textbook questions done?" T.K. asked, pulling out his biology homework.

Ken shook his head and looked away self consciously unable to respond. He had no idea what to say to T.K.. When he was with Davis, he could spend hours talking about anything that came to mind. He never had to be afraid that Davis would laugh at him no matter what personal revelations he made. The same could not be said for T.K. Whenever he was with his blond friend, his mind became a complete blank. T.K. probably thought he was the most boring person in the world. There just was not the same comfortable feeling between them, and he was sure it was his own fault. He could not bring himself to speak for fear that T.K. would make fun of him. Sudden tears filled his eyes. There was so much he wanted to tell T.K., including what was happening to him, but it did not look as if he would ever get the chance.

"Great! We can do them together before we start our project." T.K. looked up at him, a ready smile on his face, but as their eyes locked, it instantly faded.

Feeling his face heat up, Ken quickly turned away convinced T.K. had seen his tears.

Sure enough. After a moment of silence T.K. said, "Ken...are you alright?" The blond's voice was soft and he sounded concerned.

Ken looked up in surprise to find T.K.'s cloudy blue eyes fixed on his face.

"I'm fine. It's nothing," he replied, trying to put a smile on his own face.

There was a moment of awkward silence, but to his astonishment, T.K. dropped the subject. _Why? Is it because he doesn't care or does the thought of a personal conversation with me frighten him? _

"Can you believe Mr. Ono?" T.K. laughed, running a hand through his silky gold hair. "What was he thinking putting Davis with Kari? I'm surprised the rest of the class didn't rat Davis out because of the frog thing."

Ken found himself smiling slightly at that. "No. Their hatred for Ono far surpasses their anger at Davis."

"Yeah, you're probably right," T.K. laughed.

A sudden thought came to him, and he felt his heart fill with sadness. "I guess you're pretty disappointed you didn't end up with Kari," he said softly, unable to directly meet T.K.'s eyes.

T.K. shrugged and turned his azure gaze down to his notebook. "That's okay. It turned out great for me anyway. I got you."

Ken blinked at him in surprise. _Does he really mean that or is it only pity? _"You don't have to make me feel better," he snapped, feeling hurt.

T.K. stared at him and silence fell again. He turned away, convinced T.K. would finally show his true colours and closed his eyes. It did not help much. He could still feel the tears building up in behind his closed lids.

He felt a sudden touch on his arm and jumped. He turned sharply to discover that T.K. had moved over to sit close beside him, the blond's hand resting just below his shoulder. He went rigid and stared into his friends misty blue gaze. T.K. had the most expressive eyes of anyone he had ever met when the blond was not trying to hide his feelings. They seemed to change colour with his emotions. When T.K. was happy or excited, they turned a sparkling ocean blue. They were serene sky blue when T.K. was content, dark midnight blue when he was angry, and cloudy blue when he was distressed or worried. At the current moment, they were a greyish smoky blue.

"Ken...I know you keep saying that everything's okay...but..." T.K. hesitated, looking uncertain.

Ken did not answer. Instead he turned away from T.K., but this time T.K. would not drop the subject.

"Ken, why would you say something like that?" T.K. asked, his voice quiet.

He blushed and jerked his arm away from T.K.'s touch. "It's nothing, forget it," he mumbled.

T.K. dropped his hand and stared at the ground in silence.

"T.K., I..." He broke off, unsure of what to say to make things better. He was starting to feel really bad. T.K. was actually making an effort to be nice to him, and he was throwing it back in his friend's face.

"Kari's right," T.K. said softly, leaning close and peering into his eyes. "You don't look like you've been sleeping."

Ken shrank back from him, feeling uncomfortable at how close to one another they were suddenly sitting. It was not that being near T.K. made him uneasy, quite the opposite actually. The problem was his mind. It was swarming with crazy ideas that if he let T.K. get too close the other boy would be able to read all of his secrets just from a simple touch on the arm.

Apparently T.K. sensed his uneasiness because the blond gave him a searching look and his friend's expression was carefully gaurded at the way he had reacted to him.

T.K. finally broke what was becoming a familar silence between them. "I think I hear Mom now. Come on."

Ken nodded and followed him into the kitchen feeling downhearted.

"Hi, Mom. How was work?" T.K. asked, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Nancy Takaishi smiled at her son with obvious affection. "It was okay. How was school?"

T.K. shrugged. "Same a usual."

Nancy smiled and turned to see him hovering in the doorway. "Hello, Ken. T.K. phoned me to tell me that you were coming. I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

"I'm okay." He smiled shyly and finally stepped into the room.

"I hardly ever see you over here. You should come more often," she said warmly as she set a plate of food on the table and motioned for him to take a seat.

Ken blushed with embarrassment and slipped into the seat next to T.K. after a brief hesitation.

T.K. glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but his friend's gaze was impossible to read. Ken sank lower in his chair. _I don't think I want to know what's on his mind. He's probably thinking about what a loser I am._

Through most of supper, he sat in silence listening to T.K. and his mom chat about the day's events. Every so often T.K. would look in his direction, and Ken found himself growing more and more uncomfortable.

"Well don't stay up too late tonight," Nancy said with a smile as she began to clear the plates off the table.

T.K. laughed. "We won't. Come on, Ken. We better hurry up and get started."

They headed back to T.K.'s room and sat down on the floor again with their books.

"I was thinking we could do our project on lung cancer," T.K. chattered as they made themselves comfortable.

"Uh...um..." Truthfully, he had not really been listening. The only thought running through his head now was how he was going to survive the night without revealing his secrets to T.K.

T.K. glanced up from the textbook in his hands and gave him a long look. "Ken...you've been pretty quiet all evening. Is there something on your mind?"

_I knew it! He knows I'm hiding something! _"Um...no...not really." His face went red again, and he quickly ducked his head.

"I wondered if you wanted to do our project on lung cancer," T.K. said quietly.

"Sure, sounds great," he replied, managing a weak smile.

Over the next several hours they were able to finish their biology homework, and they were able to plan an entire outline for their project with T.K. doing most of the talking. At a quarter to midnight, T.K. let out a loud yawn and stood up. "I guess we had better get to bed. We've got a good start on our project. I'm sure we'll get it done in no time."

Ken nodded in agreement and got to his feet. Working with T.K. was turning out to be really easy. Things never went this smoothly when he was working with Davis, due mostly to the fact that he did all the work while Davis sat around doing nothing but complaining.

"We make a great team, don't you think?" T.K. asked, his blue eyes sparkling.

Ken blushed and shrugged. "I guess," he mumbled, staring at the floor.

T.K. put a hand to his mouth, covering another yawn and Ken had to smile. His friend's eyelids kept drooping and the blond looked ready to fall asleep.

"I'm just going to go to the bathroom, and I'll be back in a minute," T.K. said, turning towards the door.

He nodded again and stared after T.K. as the blond left the room. "Now what?" He stared nervously around the room, feeling uneasy, and spotted T.K.'s backpack sitting on the floor next to the bed. He froze and stared at it as if it had suddenly come to life. A sudden memory from several days ago came back to him. One day they had found T.K. lying under a tree with a book in his hands. When they had called out to T.K., the blond had started to act really strange and shoved the book out of sight. _What had he been trying to hide? _

He shot a quick look at the door and bit his lip. _Should I go for it? _If T.K. found him snooping, he had a feeling that his friend would not be too happy with him. _That might be true, but I have to risk it. Something's telling me that this could be important. _Feeling guilty, he dropped to his knees beside T.K.'s backpack. He sent a quick anxious glance towards the door and began to root through it's contents. _It has to be in here somewhere, unless he took it out. Lets see, math textbook, binder, apartment key, calculator, Digivice, wallet, D-Terminal, cellphone...come on! How much stuff does he carry around! Oh wait! Here it is!_

He pulled out the familar red covered book and stared at it in shock. It was about dream interpretation. _Why would T.K. be carrying this around?_

Ken felt his blood freeze. _Is T.K. having dreams like me? Or has T.K. somehow discovered that I've been having strange nightmares? _He dropped the book as if it was on fire and heard T.K.'s footsteps returning. Quickly he threw everything back in the blond's bag and staggered to the edge of the bed where he collapsed.

"Ken?"

He turned to see T.K. staring at him his eyes wide with fear. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

_He knows. Now he'll never be my friend..._

He closed his eyes and felt T.K. sit down next to him on the bed.

"What happened?" T.K. asked, his voice quiet and filled with confusion.

_Great. How am I going to talk my way out of this one?_

"Ken?"

He finally looked up and stared into the bright sapphire pools of T.K.'s eyes. His friend's gaze had grown cloudy with anxiety, and he looked upset.

His eyes swept over T.K.'s face silently searching for any sign of knowledge behind those blue depths. There was nothing. His friend did not seem to have a clue what was going on.

"What is it?" T.K. asked, an uneasy expression now covering the blond's face.

Ken realized he was staring and quickly looked away his cheeks turning red.

"Ken! Talk to me! What-"

"I'm fine!" The words came out sharper than he had intended, and he flinched. "Look, lets just go to bed," he said quietly. He quickly moved away from T.K. and stood up trying not to let his friend see that he was shaking.

T.K. fell silent and just stared at him. Finally the blond stood up and pulled off his shirt.

Ken dropped his bag on T.K.'s bed and began searching through it for his night clothes while T.K. brushed past him and headed towards the dresser. Ken paused to glance over his shoulder and gazed at his friend who was searching through one of the drawers for a clean shirt. T.K. had his back towards him and the soft light from the lamp on the nightstand showed off the golden tan on his friend's bare back and arms. That was just another one of the many differences between them. His skin was a pale milky white and tended to burn if he stayed out in the sun too long. T.K., on the other hand, never burned. His friend always came out of the sun with a golden tan that showed off his good looks, and it made the colour of the blond's hair and eyes stand out like a neon sign. It was just one of the many things about T.K. that annoyed Davis to no end.

Feeling miserable, he pulled off his shirt and pants once again wishing he was anywhere but at T.K.'s house. The silence between them was suffocating.

T.K. finally found what he was looking for and silently pulled off his clothes. Several times his friend looked like he was about to say something but chose to remain quiet. Looking distressed, T.K. pulled on a pair of light blue sleep pants and a plain white t-shirt. Ken looked away from T.K., feeling a sudden urge to cry, and he pulled on his own grey sleep pants and blue shirt.

"Which side?" T.K. finally asked, nodding his head towards the bed. The blond's voice was neutral and his face blank.

Ken stared at him in shock, and his mouth fell open. He went red in the face as T.K. raised a questioning eyebrow, and he stared at his hands.

"It's your bed, you choose," he managed to stammer.

T.K. nodded and climed into the bed moving towards the left side and leaving the right side free for him.

He hesitated and slowly climed in beside his friend. He quickly pulled the blankets up to his chin and closed his eyes, fighting back tears. _He hates me. That's why he's acting like this. He knows I'm being stalked by the darkness and he's mad at me for not admittimg it._

"Do you mind turning out the light?" T.K. asked, his voice calm.

Ken stared at T.K., who had his back turned towards him, and bit his lip to keep a sob from escaping his mouth. "Sure," he whispered. He reached for the lamp switch and let his hand fall back to his side unable to stand the horrible rift between them.

"T.K...um...," He trailed off and felt the first few tears spill over his eyelashes. "Goodnight," he whispered, hating himself for chickening out.

There was a pause, and then T.K.'s soft voice broke the silence. "Goodnight, Ken," his frined said quietly.

Feeling a little bit better, he flicked off the light bathing the entire room in darkness. A sliver of pale moonlight streamed through a gap in the curtain and fell across the bed. A light breeze came through the open pane ruffling the curtains and cooling his skin. He closed his eyes, but sleep seemed to elude him, partly because he was ever conscious of the blond sleeping beside him. At Davis's house, he always slept on the floor. He could not believe that T.K. had not suggested it as well. In a way, he was not surprised. T.K. had never been one to care about things like that. His friend was not the type of person to get uncomfortable in the type of situation that they were currently in. Surprisingly enough he felt comforted by T.K.'s presence close beside him. It reminded him of how Sam used to let him sleep in his bed when he had had nightmares. For the first time in days, he felt truly safe from the darkness.

He jumped as T.K. suddenly rolled over to face him and mumbled something. Despite the silence, he had no clue what T.K. had said, but he could tell that his friend was fast asleep.

He sighed with envy. _I wish I could fall asleep that fast. _Growing restless, he turned on his side to study T.K.'s face. The light of the moon cast a faint blue glow over his friend's body, and it made T.K.'s skin glow with pale light. It was kind of weird. T.K. looked white and ghostly, almost transparent. His friend looked like he was dead. Ken shivered and moved closer to T.K. taking comfort from the warmth of the blond's skin. His friend felt warm and solid, alive. He sighed with relief. _I have to stop letting my imagination get out of control._

He jumped as a small sound of distress suddenly escaped T.K.'s lips. The blond twisted onto his stomache and buried his face in the pillow.

"T.K.?" He reached out and touched T.K.'s shoulder. There was no response. After a moment, he shrugged. Finally he settled back against the pillows and let his eyes fall closed. Before he knew it, he was sound asleep.


	13. The Crest Of Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 13: The Crest Of Hope

_Ken Ichijouji_

_"Where am I?" He glanced around the forest, uncertain of his whereabouts. It was dead silent and the darkness around him was suffocating._

_"Haven't you figured that out yet?"_

_Crying out, he whipped around at the sudden voice and spotted a dark figure standing just behind him._

_"Who are you?" His voice came out as a high pitched squeak of fear._

_The figure stepped out of the shadows, and his heart stopped. He was staring at himself._

_His counterpart smiled coldly and fixed him with a hungry gaze. "Haven't you figured that all out? I am you. I am your dark side, and this is the inner recess of your mind where your dark thoughts still live and thrive. You try to hide it, you try to hide me, but I can never be erased."_

_"You lie!" It came out as a choked gasp, and he stumbled backwards until he felt his back press up against a tree. There was nowhere left to go. He was trapped._

_"Join me," his darker side whispered, stretching out a hand towards him. "Let us be whole again once more."_

_The blood drained from his face, and his own heart started to beat so loud that he could barely hear the other speak._

_"I won't!" he shouted, pointing a shaky finger at the dark image of himself that stood in front of him. "I won't be like you!"_

_"You already are." The other Ken smiled brightly at him, but the light never reached his counterpart's cold, violet eyes. "We are one. You can't escape from me. See?"_

_His counterpart raised a pair of sunglasses and held them high in the sky where the moon's pale rays reflected off their shiny black surface. He knew those shades. They were the shades of the Digimon Emperor._

_"Stay away from me!" he screamed, tears starting to slide down his face._

_"Never." The other Ken's eyes narrowed into dark slits of hatred._

_He started to edge around the tree but his counterpart, the Digimon Emperor, reached out and grabbed him by the wrist._

_He could feel those cold pale fingers digging into his skin, and he let out a yelp of pain._

_The Emperor shoved him against the tree and pinned his shoulder's back so he could not break free. No matter how much he struggled, he could not get loose._

_Those eyes, his own eyes, stared back at him with malicious intent. They looked almost pitch black compared to the normal dark blue he could remember so well._

_"Join us," the Emperor whispered, that pale face inches away from his own. "Join us, and we will make our master proud."_

_Ken noticed movement over the Emperor's shoulder and gasped in horror. Those creepy black shadows were sliding out of the trees towards him, their dangerous red eyes fixed on his face. There were over a hundred of them, and they were staring at him as if they had just found something very tasty to eat._

_"Stop," he whispered, sagging against the tree and clutching the back of his neck. It felt like it was on fire and the pain began to travel down his spine making it difficult to stand. The edges of his vision blurred and a faint haze of darkness began to swim across his eyes._

_"You are mine," the Emperor whispered._

_A sudden light from the trees froze both of them in their tracks._

_"What? What is that?" he whispered, a sense of awe and peace settling over him. He shook his head to clear his vision, and surprisingly the darkness began to fade away. The light was beautiful. It was a soft glimmer just inside the trees, and it was growing stronger. He could feel the warmth of the light's blinding rays even with the distance that stood between himself and the glow._

_The Emperor's face filled with fury. "Not you again," his counterpart snarled, turning to gaze hatefully at the bright glow. "Go away! Don't you realize by now that you can't save him? He's mine, you hear me? Mine!"_

_The light only seemed to grow stronger in response. Taking strength from the warm rays, he wrenched himself free of the Emperor and raced towards the bright glow._

_"What are you doing?" the Emperor snapped, making a grab for him._

_He dodged his counterpart's hand and skidded to a stop in front of the strange apparition that had just stepped out of the trees._

_"Don't listen to him," a voice from within the light said softly. "Your path is what you choose to make it. You're not the Emperor anymore. You're free. You must fight, Ken. Have hope, because without it, there is nothing left to fight with. Without hope, there is nothing to save you from a horrible fate. You have to believe in yourself. If you don't, the darkness can still claim you, and I know that's not what you want. Remember, Ken. Wherever there's light-"_

_"You'll always find darkness," Ken finished in a whisper. He had heard that somewhere once before, but where?_

_"That's right, Ken," the voice replied. "You have the light inside, but you have to keep it burning. I know you can do it. I believe in you."_

_Silent tears rolled down his cheeks, and he stretched out a hand towards the light. "Really? You do?" he whispered._

_"Let me help you," the voice, a very familar voice, replied._

_The glow grew brighter, and he felt a warm hand take his arm._

_"You have two paths," the voice whispered. "You can choose the road to darkness, or you can follow the path of darkness to the light at the end of the tunnel. A life of shadow, or a spirit filled with never-ending sunshine. Only you can choose, Ken."_

_"No!" screamed the Emperor from somewhere behind him._

_Ken ignored him, his gaze locked on the figure surrounded by light._

_The figure pulled him closer, as if trying to shield him from the wrath of the Emperor, and the pain in his neck faded away._

_Ken found himself staring into a pair of familar sparkling blue eyes and smiled. "Then I choose light."_

Ken woke with a start, gasping for breath, and quickly rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He glanced frantically around the room, desperately trying to figure out where he was, and that's when he remembered. He was in T.K.'s bedroom sleeping over.

He let out a soft groan and attempted to untangle himself from the blankets without waking his blond friend. Slowly he sat up and brushed tangled strands of raven hair out of his eyes.

_What a weird dream. _He frowned thoughtfully at the ceiling and rested his chin in his hand. Parts of the dream had grown fuzzy, but he could not forget that bright golden light. _Who could it have been?_

A soft sound interrupted his thoughts, and he looked down. T.K.'s eyes were flitting restlessly beneath his eyelids, his golden lashes fluttering.

"T.K.? Hey, are you okay?" He reached out and gently touched his friend's arm. Immediately T.K. went still and his face relaxed into a pleasant expression.

Ken hesitated and finally settled back against the pillow beside his blond friend. T.K. shifted, moving closer to him, and he could feel the heat of the other's body. He had not even realized that he was shivering until the goosebumps had started to fade away.

He smiled and let his eyes fall closed, but another sound immediately made him open them again.

"T.K.?" He rolled over and gazed at his friend, but T.K. was still asleep. _Something's not right. _He quickly sat up and gazed around the room again. At first nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. Then he noticed something extremely odd. The shadows in the corners of the room were moving. Not only were they moving, but they were snaking across the ground straight towards him.

Letting out a yelp, he scrambled backwards against the headboard. "No, not here!" he whispered, horrified. "Not now! Please not now!"

Either the shadows did not here him, or they chose to ignore him because they continued to slither towards the bed.

He glanced wildly around the room searching for an escape route. _How am I going to protect myself, and what about T.K.? What if they try to get him too?_

The dark shadows reached the end of the bed and their hands started to climb their way upwards. Slowly they formed into dark shapes with red beady eyes that were glaring hatefully at him.

"Go away!" he hissed, his eyes wide with fear.

"_You wouldn't join us," _one of the dark shapes whispered. "_As punishment, we will now take something of yours in payment. A compromise, if you will."_

To Ken's complete horror, the dark shape began to reach for T.K.. One of those shadow's arms slipped beneath the blanket and siezed T.K.'s ankle. Slowly the dark form began to drag his friend off the bed.

"No! Let him go!" he shrieked, feeling a panic deeper than anything he had ever felt for himself. He lunged forward and grabbed T.K. by the leg, trying to pull it away, but the dark ones were stronger. The blanket slipped off and T.K. began to slide over the edge of the bed, blissfully unaware of the danger he was in.

"Oh no you don't!" Ken wrapped his fingers around T.K.'s wrist and began to tug. It was nothing short of a miracle that T.K. was still asleep. _He must be a very deep sleeper. _

"_If you defy the darkness, then you must pay the price," _another dark shape whispered

"Stop!" He realized that he was sobbing, but he did not give up. "Why do you want him? He's done nothing to you!"

_"He's becoming a nuisance!" _the first dark shadow snapped"_Besides, you dared to defy our master and therefore you must pay. What better way to fulfill a debt then by taking something that is important to you? Maybe it will finally teach you that you cannot escape the darkness without consequences."_

With another hard yank, T.K.'s foot came free. He immediately dragged his friend back against the headboard and wrapped a protective arm around him. He stared defiantly at the creatures, daring them to try again, but the shadows merely stood there watching him.

"_We asked you nicely, but you would not listen," _one of them finally whispered.

"What do you mean T.K.'s becoming a nuisance?" He huddled next to T.K. taking comfort from his friend's presence close beside him.

"_The Child of Hope comes with us," _a shadow spat, ignoring his question. "_Your friend belongs to us now."_

"No way!" Ken gasped, his voice trembling. "T.K.'s not like you so leave him alone!"

T.K's eyes fluttered and the blond mumbled something.

"It's okay," he whispered, gently patting his friend's back and turning to glare at the shadows. "I won't let them take you."

_"He must. If you will not come then the Child of Hope has to take your place. We will not leave until one of you comes with."_

"You're lying!" he shouted. All the dark shapes shook their heads.

"Why did you come here? Why do you want to torment me? I'm not like you anymore!"

The creatures did not answer. They continued to stand there watching, and Ken felt a heavy weight settle on his heart. The creatures were not bluffing. They were not going to stop tormenting him, and now T.K., until he gave in to their demands.

Ken felt a wave of terrible defeat wash over himself. "So, it's me or T.K.," he whispered.

The dark shape closest to him nodded. "_If you do not come then we will not rest until the Child of Hope is ours. It is your choice. Who's it going to be?"_

Ken gazed down at T.K. who's face was peaceful. His friend looked like a sleeping angel. T.K. seemed so innocent and defenceless against the darkness surrounding them. _What could they possibly want with T.K.? Have they been tormenting him all this time too, and I haven't even noticed? He has been acting strange lately. _The thought horrified him so much that he almost threw up his supper. _They can't! T.K. isn't like me! The darkness isn't suppose to bother him!_ He knew what he had to do. "Take me," he whispered, placing a hand on T.K.'s shoulder who lay on his side facing towards him. "I'm the one you really want. T.K. doesn't deserve this. Besides, the others need him more than they need me. There's no way I'm just going to hand him over to you. T.K.'s my friend. I could never betray him like that."

"_Smart choice. Come, Emperor. The darkness is waiting." _The one who appeared to be their leader laughed and held out a shadowy hand.

Ken nodded. He felt empty inside. T.K. would never know how much his friendship meant to him. Despite that, he knew he was making the right decision. Feeling terror like nothing he had ever felt before, he gently let go of T.K.'s wrist, which he had not realized that he had been holding, and slowly held out his other hand to the creature of darkness.

A sudden flash of light lit up the room and blinded him. Ken gasped in disbelief as T.K. disappeared in a luminescent glow. He could feel it's warmth surrounding him, seeping into his body and driving away the darkness. The shadows shrieked and stumbled backwards in a tangle of dark bodies. Then, as quick as it had come, it was gone again.

Ken stared around the room in stunned silence. The shadows had disappeared but the presence of the light lingered on and left his skin tingling at it's touch. It reminded him of the light from his dream.

"What happened?" he whispered and turned to stare at T.K. in awe. T.K. rolled onto his back and let out a soft sigh.

That's when Ken noticed the faint glow beneath T.K.'s white shirt. He hesitated and finally crawled over to the blond's side gazing at him with curiosity. Slowly, with gentle fingers, he touched the golden chain around his friend's neck. _Could it be?_

He glanced quickly at all four corners of the room, reassuring himself that the shadows remained lifeless, and slowly slipped his hand into the collar of T.K.'s shirt. His hand closed around the warm surface of the small object, and he pulled out the Crest of Hope. It's shiny surface was glowing brightly with a soft yellow light.

"It was you!" he gasped. "You made the darkness disappear! But...how?"

Naturally T.K. did not answer.

He pulled out his own Crest of Kindness, which he wore on a chain identical to the one T.K. wore, but unlike T.K.'s crest, his remained inactive.

Somehow, in some way, T.K. had completely obliterated the darkness around them without even breaking a sweat. _Forget that_. _He wasn't even awake_!

He held tightly to his friend's crest as if it was the only thing standing between him and the darkness that was threatening to consume him. In a way, it was the only thing.

Suddenly, without warning, his friend's eyes popped open and T.K. stared directly at him; at him holding the crest in his hand.

Ken was so startled that he jumped and nearly fell off the bed. He hastily let go of T.K.'s crest, knowing already that it was too late, and T.K. grabbed his wrist stopping him.

His heart filled with dread, and he gazed at T.K. in horror. _He knows beyond a shadow of a doubt. There's no more hiding now. Our friendship is over. _The realization of what was to come sent icy needles stabbing into his soul. He jerked his arm free from T.K.'s grip and tumbled off the bed. He scrambled to his feet, the tears already starting to slide down his cheeks, and made a break for the door as fast as his legs would carry him. Somehow T.K. had managed to untangle himself from the sheets, and he felt the blond grab him by the back of the shirt stopping him in his tracks.

"Stop," he whispered. He tried to wriggle free, pieces of his soul crumbling to dust, and ended up knocking them both to the floor. A grunt of pain escaped his mouth as T.K. landed on top of him. He opened his eyes and found T.K. gazing at him with an expression that he had never seen before. Gone was that serene expression of indifference. His friend's blue gaze was burning with so much emotion that it defied the laws of physics.

"Ken," T.K. whispered, his voice hoarse and his face pale. "I think it's time you and I had a talk."


	14. Never Alone

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. This story is just for fun.

A/N: Most likely this story will contain a total of twenty chapters. Six left to go!

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 14: Never Alone

_T.K. Takaishi_

T.K. watched Ken's face turn a deathly shade of white and the former Emperor's eyes widened into two deep, dark, pools of fear. His friend let out a strangled cry and tried desperately to break free, but he pinned Ken's shoulders to the floor and held the other boy firmly in place.

He was not exactly sure what was going on, but something had happened in his room that night, and he was not going to give up until he found out what it had been. The second he had opened his eyes, he had known that his crest had reacted to something. He could still feel it's power flowing through his veins and the warmth of it's light tingling through his skin. His close proximity to Ken allowed him to feel it in the other boy as well. Ken's skin was unusually warm, and the hair on his friend's arms was standing straight up as if a current of electricity was flowing inside the former Emperor. Crests did not start reacting without a very good reason, but despite the crest, he could still feel the taint of darkness in his own bedroom, and it made his blood run cold.

"Ken," he murmured softly, gazing sadly at his friend. "What is happening to you?"

Ken squeezed his eyes shut and went limp against the floor. It was as if the fight had been knocked out of his friend, and it had left Ken weak and defeated.

He could feel Ken's heart pounding rapidly against his chest, and he could feel the rise and fall of Ken's upper body as the other boy gasped for breath.

"Ken?" T.K. whispered, his heart filling with fear for his friend.

"Get off!" Ken shouted, his voice coming out as half a sob. "You're heavy."

T.K. sighed. That, at least, was probably true. He had to be a good fifteen or twenty pounds heavier than the other boy. Ken had always been rather slim.

"Will you promise not to go screaming from my apartment like a madman if I do?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to keep his tone light. What he really felt like doing was screaming.

Ken blushed a bright red and did not reply. If anything, his friend looked even more frightened.

As much as he dreaded to confront Ken, he knew he did not have a choice anymore. To much was happening to them to just let it go unnoticed. _Does Ken really think that I'm so blind that I can't see him suffering? _His friend's pain had been visible to him all evening, and it had caused him to worry all night. Everyday Ken had been getting worse, and he could not stand seeing his friend hurting anymore. Maybe if he was able to understand Ken's suffering, he would finally be able to understand his own. He had tried so hard to deny that Ken's problems had anything to do with him, but it was way to much of a coincidence that Ken had started acting strange around the same time that he had begun to have nightmares. He could not deny it any longer. Somehow Ken's problems were connected to his, and he needed to understand how before it all drove him crazy. _If I do this, then Ken's going to find out how much I care about him, and somehow I don't think that's what he wants. He's already afraid of me. Telling him now could send him over the edge, and he'll probably hate me forever. He already avoids me like the plague. If he cared about me at all, he wouldn't act like that. _

T.K. closed his eyes against the pain those thoughts stirred up inside of him, and he felt his eyes start to sting with tears. It was a risk he had to be willing to take. He had promised Angemon and himself that he would help Ken no matter what. Sometimes keeping promises meant making huge sacrifices. Ken might hate him forever for sticking his nose in where it did not belong, but at least he could be sure that he had done everything he could to help his friend.

Slowly he climed off of Ken and sat down across from the former Emperor. Ken made one more effort to escape, but he grabbed his friend's wrists and hung on tight. The fear in Ken's eyes was like a thousand needles stabbing into his soul. _Fear of me. How did it all come to this? My own friend is terrified of me, and I have no idea why. _He had always been aware of Ken's uneasiness around him, but he had never really thought about it before until now. The realization of what it meant left him completely shocked.

"Ken, will you quit trying to run away from me. It doesn't help a person's self-esteem, you know," he said in an attempt to make a joke. _Please, Ken, don't do this. You know I would never do anything to hurt you..._

Ken did not seem to have heard him. The former Emperor stared up at the ceiling and silent tears continued to slide down his friend's cheeks.

"Ken, what happened in here tonight?" he whispered.

Ken just shook his head and let out a soft sob.

T.K.'s heart went out to the other boy. What would have caused Ken to slip back again when he had been doing so well in healing from the sadness that had trapped him for so long. "Ken," he said quietly, reaching out to place a hand on his friend's arm. "You've been acting really strange for a while now, and I know you haven't been sleeping. I can tell just by looking at you. You've been really upset and I don't mean just today. I know it has something to do with what went on here tonight. Please, Ken? You know you can tell me anything."

Ken froze and stared at him. The former Emperor's face was pale white, and his eyes haunted.

_Why should one person be allowed to suffer so much? "_Please," he whispered.

Ken let out a sudden bitter laugh that bordered on the edge of hysteria. "Since when have I ever been able to tell you anything?" his friend said coldly, but the affect was ruined by the pain that lay just beneath the surface of his icy words.

T.K. gaped at him. _Is this how Ken sees me? Does he really think that he can't trust me? I've always known that Ken has never felt the same kind of friendship for me that he feels for Davis and the others, but I never realized that he had come to dislike me so much. Why?_

Reaching out, he gently placed his hands on Ken's shoulders, took a deep breath, and stared deeply into his friend's eyes. "Ken," he said quietly, his voice filled with emotion. "You've always been able to tell me anything."

"R-really?" Ken whispered, his violet eyes filling with shock.

T.K. realized what he had said and hastily looked away. _Well, here it comes. Ken's going to totally freak out. _

But instead of freaking out, Ken merely stared at him in stunned silence.

"Of course," he said softly, feeling a sudden spark of hope. "In fact, I wish you would, otherwise I can't help you."

"You...you want to help me?" The words were so soft that T.K. just barely heard them, but he did and the emotion in those words left him speechless. Ken sounded as if he desperately wanted to believe, but was afraid to.

Reaching out, he took Ken's crest in his hand and gently ran his fingers over it's shiny purple surface. "Tell me," he whispered softly, not daring to look away for fear that Ken would lose the nerve to say anything if he did.

Ken jumped in shock at his action, but the chain that held the crest around his neck stopped the former Emperor from pulling away. Instead, Ken blushed a bright red and stared at the floor. "You wouldn't believe me anyway," he mumbled, his voice trembling.

T.K. smiled at him. "Of course I would believe you," he said gently. "I never doubt my friends."

Ken's eyes filled with tears again, and T.K. watched them slide slowly down his friend's cheeks. "Then I was right to begin with," the former Emperor whispered.

T.K. frowned. _What is that suppose to mean? _He stood up, grabbed a box of tissues off his desk, and once more sat down across from Ken. "Here," he said softly, pressing a couple into his friend's hand. "Ken, you have to tell me what's going on," he murmured. "I saw you holding onto my crest, and I'm not going to rest until I have my answers."

"No," Ken whispered, shaking his head. "You'll just think I'm a total freak. I'm even starting to wonder if I am." Ken bowed his head, his silent tears dripping onto the carpet.

T.K. stared at him in stunned silence. _Does Ken really have such a low opinion of himself? _He gently placed his hand on Ken's shoulder again. "You will never be a freak to me," he whispered.

_Ken Ichijouji_

Ken was so shocked by T.K.'s words that he could do nothing but sit there in stunned silence. _Does T.K. really see me as a friend? Does he really want to help me, or is it all just an act? _He gazed at T.K. who's expression appeared sincere. _He really doesn't think I'm a freak? _His own words from earlier made him blush with embarrassment. _Of course he doesn't. That's because he believes I'm a nutcase!_

"Ken," T.K. whispered, interrupting his thoughts. "I know something's wrong. You have to tell me. Nothing you say is ever going to change how I feel about you."

A nasty shiver raced down his spine. _Is that a good thing or a bad thing? _

T.K. must have sensed his distress because the blond gave him a reassuring smile.

He blushed and quickly looked away. _Can I really trust T.K.? He's being so nice to me that it's hard to imagine that anything I have to say would make him hate me. _There was really no other option. Now that T.K. was aware of the darkness, there was no doubt that his friend would discover what was really happening eventually, even without him saying anything. It was only a matter of time.

Taking a deep breath, he made his decision. He just hoped that he would not live to regret it. He told T.K everything, leaving out only the part about the shadows wanting to steal his blond friend as a part of some deal from hell. When he was finished, he closed his eyes, feeling shame at the river of tears sliding over his cheeks, and held his breath. _Well, what's done is done. I can't take back what I said now, and I can't turn back time. I can't believe I'm crying like a baby. T.K. probably thinks I'm weak. He's going to hate me, I just know it. The darkness is going to drive him away forever. He's never going to want to come near me again. I'm tainted, and I disgust him..._

"It can't be," T.K. whispered, his voice filled with horror.

_I was right. He despises me. _Ken slowly looked up, his heart aching with terrible sadness, and realized with some surprise that T.K. was not even looking at him. His friend was staring at the ceiling lost in some nightmare that only he could see.

Ken blinked in confusion and frowned. "T.K.?" he said hesitantly. "What's going on?" _Why isn't he staring at me with fear and hatred? _

T.K. slowly looked up at him, and he gasped as his friend's hands closed around his upper arms. The blond did not seem to be at all aware of the fact that the darkness still raged within him. _Isn't he afraid that I might corrupt him?_

"Ken," T.K. whispered, looking terrified. "Do you realize what's going on?"

T.K. did not look terrified of him, his friend looked terrified _for _him. _That's impossible. I must be seeing things. Oh, T.K., you're so good and pure. You shouldn't touch me. You shouldn't even be near me. I might taint you with the darkness that's running through my veins, and I would never forgive myself if I did. Stay away from me before I hurt you..._ "What do you mean?" he whispered, feeling confused.

"I've seen them before," T.K. murmured, staring fearfully into his eyes. "Those shadows that keep coming after you once posed as a bunch of Scubamon, though to my knowledge there's never been a real digimon with that name in the Digital World. They...they come from the Dark Ocean."

Ken's heart stopped. Horrible memories of that place came rushing back and the blood in his veins turned to ice. _No! Anything but that! Never again! Please never again... _"What are you saying?" he whispered. "How could you possibly know something like that?"

T.K.'s hand moved to his wrist, and the blond held on tight. "You know the Dark Ocean once haunted Kari," T.K. said softly. "You were with her the second time it pulled her in, but I was with her the first time. Those black shadows had been hunting her, following her wherever she went until they were finally able to pull her into the world of the Dark Ocean. Once there, they looked like digimon, but I know that's not what they really were. You said it yourself, Ken. It's a world where a person's dark thoughts come to life. I believe those shadows are a physical representation of the darkness that is stored within a person's heart. I think they took on the form of digimon because that was something that Kari was familiar with and they used that to lure her in. Isn't it also where the Control Spires came from, or at least the idea of them. They're just another representation of darkness. Despite all that, I'm sure the Dark Ocean is connected in some way to the Digital World. How else would you have been able to send Daemon there with your Digivice?" T.K. gazed at him and smiled sadly. "Ken, it's the Dark Ocean that's haunting you."

"It can't be," he whispered in horror. "I've been free of that place for years now! Why would it suddenly start to haunt me again after all this time?"

T.K. stared at him for a long moment and reached out to gently touch his cheek. "Only you can answer that, Ken," his friend whispered softly.

Ken blushed at the sudden touch and lowered his eyes, feeling extremely confused. T.K. had never made such a caring gesture towards him before, and his friend had never given him so much attention. It was making his head spin. He had a nasty feeling T.K. already knew why the darkness had come for him again. _It's because the darkness never really left me, so why isn't he screaming at me to stay away from him?_

"They wanted to take me to their master," he blurted, quickly changing the subject.

A funny expression crossed his friend's face, and the blond gave him a penetrating look. "Did they say who their master was?"

Ken shook his head. "No," he said meekly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

T.K. stared at him and the faint pink blush on his cheeks turned a brilliant red. _Why did I say that? I'm so stupid! He must think I'm a total creep!_

"Those creatures wanted to make Kari their queen and use her in battle against their master," T.K. said softly. "I remember it like it was yesterday. They kept talking about their 'Undersea Master'. I wonder why they have changed their minds about fighting him? I'm guessing they want you to join them the way they wanted Kari to."

He nodded and felt his eyes fill with tears. "I don't want to go with them," he whispered, hugging himself.

T.K.'s sparkling blue eyes filled with sympathy. "Ken," he murmured softly, taking hold of his arms. "Do you remember that creepy door in your base that was oozing bright purple goo? All of us were wondering what it was. Do you remember what you said to us?"

Ken thought for a moment and put a hand to his mouth in shock. "Darkness," he whispered. "It was a gateway to the World of Darkness." _I'd been hearing voices back then too! Well, not at that exact moment, but I had been hearing them inside the base._

"Ken," T.K. said quietly. "The World of Darkness and the Dark Ocean are the same thing. They're the same place, and the only way to stop it from sucking you in is to believe in yourself. You can't hold back. You have to prove that your spirit is greater than the darkness. That's what Kari did and the Dark Ocean has never come for her again. She has learned not to let the darkness affect her, and you must learn that, too, if you want to be free."

Ken felt T.K.'s warm hand close over his own, and he slowly looked up gazing deeply into his friend's eyes.

"The Dark Ocean isn't going to stop bothering you until you learn to confront your fears," T.K. whispered.

"But how do I do that?" he asked, his voice breaking.

T.K. smiled, and reaching into his shirt, the blond pulled out the Crest of Hope. He took it off, and Ken gasped as T.K. placed it in his hand.

"You have to have faith in yourself," T.K. said softly. "You have to be strong, but most of all, you have to have hope. Without hope, how are you going to be able to believe in anything? Why do you think I was able to stop the darkness that was in this room tonight? It's because I believe in myself, and I believe in you."

Ken stared at the crest in his hand, but the image blurred with tears. His fingers closed over it's smooth surface, and he felt T.K.'s fingers close over both his own fingers and the crest. _T.K. believes in me..._

"You were the one who told me that, Ken," T.K. murmured. "Don't you remember? You told all of us. You said that as long as we believe in ourselves then the darkness can never harm us."

"The kids with the spores," he whispered, as the sudden memory came back to him. "That's what I said to them."

T.K. nodded and smiled. "I think it's time you learned to start taking your own words to heart."

"What's next?" He asked, not sure he really wanted to know the answer.

"This is what we're going to do," T.K. said, his voice taking on a note of determination. "This whole thing with the Dark Ocean started with the Digital World, so it only makes sense to start at the beginning. I spoke to Yolei today and she's already made plans for all of us to go to the Digiworld tomorrow. She probably sent you an email about it. It's time to confront your fears and stop the Dark Ocean from haunting you once and for all. You said something about them being in the Digiworld the last time we were there. Is that true?"

"Yes, well...I didn't actually see them, but I know they were there."

"So, tonight is not the first time you have seen them recently, is it?" T.K. asked quietly.

Ken felt his face burn and stared at his feet. "No," he mumbled. "I've seen them before."

T.K. nodded, and to Ken's surprise, the blond did not ask him to elaborate. The truth was, there were still some things that he had not told T.K. which included his dreams, the voices, and his real feelings towards his blond friend.

"What am I going to do once I'm there?"

"We're going to wait for the Dark Ocean to come to you, and when it does, we are going to be ready for it," T.K. replied. "Only this time you won't be alone because I'm going to be with you."

It took a moment for T.K.'s words to sink in, and when they did, Ken's mouth fell open in shock. "You will?" he squeaked, his brain going into overdrive.

"Yes, I will," T.K. said softly, his expression leaving no room for doubt.

The tears spilled over Ken's cheeks as he stared at T.K. He wanted to hug his blond friend with pure joy, but he did not dare. T.K. might be willing to help him, but the blond had to have his limits.

Instead he hugged T.K.'s crest to his chest and whispered," Thank you."

T.K. smiled warmly at him. "Anything for a friend. " Then T.K.'s face grew serious. "Ken, is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

Ken felt his face go from bright red to purple. "No," he mumbled. _At least, not until I absolutely have to._

"In that case we should both probably get some sleep. Otherwise neither one of us will be in any condition to fight the Powers of Darkness."

Ken nodded and quickly stood up. He realized that he was still holding T.K.'s crest in his hand and quickly held it out to the blond. "Here," he muttered, avoiding T.K.'s eyes.

T.K. reached out, but instead of taking it, the blond's hand closed over his and pushed the crest back in his direction.

"You keep it for now," T.K. murmured, stepping close to him and whispering softly in his ear. "Right now you need it more than I do. Think of it as a good luck charm." T.K. pulled back and smiled at him. "Everytime you look at it, I want you to remember what I said, and I want you to remember that I'm here with you."

His mouth fell open in surprise, but he managed to nod. "I will," he said faintly. He slipped the chain over his head and the crest settled against his own Crest of Kindness with a musical clinking sound.

"Goodnight, Ken. No more tears," T.K. whispered, shifting closer to him and placing a hand on his arm. "I'm right here beside you. You're safe now."

"Night, T.K.," he whispered back, tears of sudden happiness running down his cheeks. He was pretty sure he was in shock. T.K. had called him a friend. T.K. had promised to help him. T.K. had promised he would not be alone anymore...

"Ken? I don't know what's made the Dark Ocean come back to you, but I will find out," T.K. whispered. "Goodnight."

Ken shook his head and smiled. There were still many obstacles left to get past in his relationship with T.K. before he could really call what they had friendship, but it was a start. The wall was still there, but the cracks were spreading, and there was hope. Ken wrapped his fingers around the Crest of Hope and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he fell into a deep sleep. The light of the crest cast a faint glow on his creamy coloured skin, and this time his dreams were pleasant.


	15. Preparing For Battle

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Five chapters left to go! Reviews would make my day!

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 15: Preparing For Battle

_T.K. Takaishi_

T.K. slowly opened his eyes and blinked at the bright sunshine streaming into his open window. He turned onto his side and found Ken sleeping peacefully next to him. He smiled softly. Ken's slender fingers were wrapped tightly around his Crest of Hope, and the former Emperor's skin had a rosy glow.

Stretching, T.K. sat up and propped himself against a pillow. Last night's events still did not really explain how his problems were connected to Ken's , but he knew in his heart that they were. The things Ken had revealed to him were shocking, and they had saddened him. He had thought that Ken was doing really well, but the Dark Ocean seemed to suggest otherwise.

He shivered. He did not want to go back there again. The place disturbed him. _I have to though, for Ken's sake. He needs me._

Now that Ken had finally allowed him to help, he could not resist feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. The best part was that, near the end of their conversation, Ken had no longer seemed afraid of him. Maybe there was hope for their friendship after all.

He smiled brilliantly at his reflection in the windowpane and leaned over Ken's sleeping form to wake his friend.

"Ken," he murmured, gently shaking the other boy's shoulder. "It's time to get up. We have to get ready for school."

Ken stirred slightly and rolled onto his back. The former Emperor sighed softly, but he did not wake up.

T.K. studied his friend's slim form with curiosity. One way or another, he was going to find out why the darkness was haunting Ken. _I fought off the darkness in my room last night with ease. If I can do that, than there's no reason why I can't help Ken. _He still could not believe that he had gotten rid of all those shadows. When Ken had described the scene to him, it had left him speechless. _I guess I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was. _The thought comforted him. He was going to need that strength to help Ken and to keep himself free from the darkness at the same time.

"Ken, open your eyes," he said softly, gently taking hold of the hand that held the crest. "I hate to wake you when I know how much you could use a good rest, but we have to go soon."

Ken's long lashes fluttered open, and T.K. found himself gazing into his friend's deep violet eyes.

"You're awake," he murmured, squeezing his friend's hand.

Ken blinked sleepily at him in confusion, and then his eyes widened in shock.

T.K. leaped back, but Ken had sat up so fast that the former Emperor's head collided with his chin.

"Sorry," Ken mumbled, rubbing his forehead and looking embarrassed.

T.K. raised an eyebrow and tried not to smile. "Did you forget where you were?"

Ken's blush confirmed his words and a laugh escaped his lips. "Come on, Ken. We have to get dressed." He pulled his raven haired friend out of the bed and began to root through his drawers for some clean clothes. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ken glancing shyly at him every few minutes. Apparently the events of last night had left Ken feeling a little uncertain.

"Now that it's about to happen, it seems more frightening, doesn't it?" he said with a sympathetic understanding.

Ken jumped when he realized that he was being watched and shrugged looking flustered. "I guess."

"You haven't forgotten what we have to do today, have you?"

"I haven't forgotten," said Ken quietly, pulling on a clean shirt.

"It'll be okay," he whispered, pulling on his own shirt.

Ken nodded, and his fingers closed unconsciously around the Crest of Hope. "I know," his friend whispered back.

They finished dressing in silence and quickly headed for the door.

T.K. led the way out of the apartment and kept his eyes on Ken who was walking silently beside him. The former Emperor's face was pale and his eyes anxious.

_Don't worry, Ken. Angemon and I will protect you if it's the last thing we do._

_Ken Ichijouji_

Ken sat in the computer room waiting anxiously for the others to arrive. His nerves were at a breaking point. All day he had been unable to concentrate on his school work, and the closer the clock ticked towards the time when they would have to head to the Digital World the worse his anxiety had become. _By the time the Dark Ocean comes for me, I won't have to worry about the shadows stealing my soul. I'll probably die of exhaustion first._

The worst part of the whole thing was that Davis and the others were suspicious. He had seen the looks that his best friend and Kari had been giving him in biology. Yolei and Cody were not much better. Soon every Digidestined on the planet was going to know that he was a walking disaster. The only thing that had kept him sane so far were the encouraging looks that T.K. had been sending his way at every opportunity.

Things had been a little awkward between himself and T.K. ever since he had awakened that morning. _Well it's no wonder after what happened last night. _His head was still spinning with all the emotions and feelings that he had experienced since T.K. had driven the darkness away. Even though he had had time to think about it, he still could not decide if T.K. was being sincere. As much as he wanted to believe everything that T.K. had said, some doubts still remained.

He was scared, and he had a feeling that things were only going to get worse.

The door suddenly flew open, and he jerked up to see Yolei, Cody, Davis and Kari enter the room.

"There you are, Ken. I've been looking all over for you," Davis said. "Are you ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," he murmured.

Yolei frowned at him and gave him a concerned look. "Ken, are you feeling okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," he said quietly, ignoring the skeptical expression on Cody's face.

"Alright, then lets go. Where's T.I.?" Davis demanded.

"Oh please, like you've never held us up before," Yolei snapped, giving Davis a dirty look.

"I'm right here," T.K. said calmly, striding through the open door and coming to a stop next to Kari.

"We were wondering what happened to you," Kari said with a smile. "What took you so long?"

"One of the guys from the basketball team held me up. Sorry about that."

Ken was careful not to focus too closely on his blond friend. After the events of last night, being around T.K. made him very nervous. _He knows about the darkness. What if he tells the others? _He had not thought about that before, and it terrified him so much that he sent T.K. a panicked look before he realized what he was doing.

T.K. seemed to understand what was going through his head because the blond gave him a warm smile of reassurance.

Ken let out a sigh of relief and tucked T.K.'s crest deeper into his shirt. He did not want the others to know what was happening between himself and T.K. because he had a nasty feeling that it would jinx the whole thing. If the others knew about his feelings for T.K., and T.K. decided to turn on him, he would never be able to live down the humiliation. To have all of his friends as witnesses to his pain would just be too much. _Besides, T.K. and I have a fragile hold on our friendship at the moment. If they knew, it would just make things worse._

Surprisingly, T.K. seemed to feel the same way because his friend did not look at all eager to start blabbing to the others.

"Everyone's here now, lets go," Cody said, getting the group's attention.

Ken turned and held his Digivice up to the computer, doing his best to ignore the butterflies in his stomache. He felt T.K. step up beside him and glanced at the blond from beneath his eyelashes.

T.K. touched his arm, a small gesture of reassurance, and he took a deep breath.

"Are you sure you're alright, Ken?" Kari whispered on his other side.

"Fine," he whispered back.

Crossing his fingers, he allowed himself to be pulled through the gate.


	16. Nightmares Become Reality

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This chapter is also short, but the next four will be longer. I promise! That reminds me, only four left to go! I'm so excited! You may have noticed that I changed the rating for this fic. If you want to know why, check out my profile page. Please review!

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 16: Nightmares Become Reality

_Ken Ichijouji_

They found themselves standing at the edge of a large forest within sight of a small digimon town. The sun was shining, and it seemed peaceful enough, but Ken was not convinced. He quickly scanned the edges of the forest, in search of dark shadows that were more solid than any regular shadows, but there was nothing there.

"I thought it would be nice to visit one of the digimon villages today," said Yolei, smiling brightly. "Hawkmon and the others are already inside waiting for us."

"This time, if we split up, I get to pick who goes where," Davis announced, sending Yolei a dirty look.

Yolei just rolled her eyes and stalked off towards the town with her nose in the air.

Ken walked silently at the back of the group, keeping one eye on the landscape at all times. The shadows were going to be back. He could almost feel their eyes between his shoulder blades, watching him. They were not going to let him off the hook that easily. The price still had to be paid. He just hoped that they would not decide to go after T.K. again. _I won't let that happen. This time I'm going to be ready for them._

T.K., who was walking next to Cody, glanced back at him with a worried expression.

He shrugged and managed a shy smile, but T.K.'s blue gaze did not lose it's concern.

They stepped into the town and were immediately surrounded by their digimon.

"Ken!" Wormon gasped, staring at him with wide eyes. "I've been so worried about you ever since you left the last time. Are you okay?"

Ken picked Wormon up and held the little digimon tightly to his chest. "No, Wormon," he mumbled, hiding his face against his partner's small, warm body. "Everything's not okay. I'm so glad that you're here with me. I don't think I could do this without you."

Patamon, who had flown into T.K.'s arms, sent him a frightened look. "Ken, wh-"

T.K. placed a finger over Patamon's mouth to quiet him and glanced uneasily at Davis who was staring suspiciously at himself and T.K. "Not here, Patamon," T.K. whispered softly in the digimon's ear. "We'll explain everything later."

Ken stared at Patamon in shock. _What has T.K. been telling him? If Patamon is aware of the fact that I haven't been myself lately, then T.K. must have known since our last trip to the Digital World! _In all that time, T.K. had not treated him like someone with a horrible disease. T.K. had treated him like a...like a friend... This sudden revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. He barely restrained himself from gasping out loud and held on tightly to the Crest of Hope instead.

"What are we going to do today, Yolei?" Hawkmon asked.

Yolei glanced around at everyone and smiled. "We're going to give these little digimon a day of some fun in the sun! I say we split up into pairs and each pair take a group of digimon to entertain. Afterwards we can meet back here for a picnic." Yolei held up a couple of picnic baskets that she had brought along which no doubt contained compliments of the Inoue convenience store.

"Sounds good to me, and this time I'm picking the pairs," Davis said before Yolei could open her mouth. "Kari, you can be with me."

"Why does that not surprise me," Kari muttered, moving over to stand next to the goggle headed leader. Davis beamed at her, and Ken held his breath as Davis turned to look at him.

Davis was about to open his mouth when T.K. suddenly stepped forward. "I can go with Ken," the blond said, and Ken jumped as T.K.'s hand closed around his upper arm.

Everybody stared at them, and Ken felt his face heat up. The others were looking at him and T.K. as if they had gone crazy.

Davis blinked in surprise and said, "Er...okay. I guess that means Yolei is with Cody."

Yolei sent him a disappointed look, but Ken was too busy staring at T.K. in shock to notice. At the moment, T.K. did not appear to care who Davis was with, despite the fact that Kari kept sending his blond friend meaningful looks.

"Come on, Davis. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can eat!" Veemon cheered.

"That's my kind of plan!" Davis laughed, grabbing Kari's hand and dragging her off into the heart of the village.

"I can tell this is going to be one of those days," Gatomon groaned, following after them and muttering something about using Davis as a scratching post.

"I guess we'll see you guys later," Yolei said, giving himself and T.K. a searching look.

Cody, too, glanced curiously at them before turning to follow Yolei, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon.

The second they were alone, T.K. grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him behind a building under the shade of a large overhang.

"What's going on?" Patamon asked, fluttering anxiously at T.K.'s shoulder.

T.K. sighed, and reaching out, he gently stroked Wormon's head. "Ken, you'd better tell our digimon what's going on."

Ken sighed and repeated everything to the digimon that he had told T.K. the night before. When he was done, Patamon flew into his arms next to Wormon and softly stroked his cheek with one long ear.

"I'm really sorry, Ken," Patamon said quietly. "But don't worry. We will help you out." The little digimon glanced meaningfully at T.K. who nodded in return.

"I knew there was something wrong," Wormon moaned, snuggling against him. "Why didn't you tell me some of this before?"

"I was going to ask the same thing," T.K. said quietly, staring hard at him. "If I had known that these shadows have been stalking you for a while now, I would have tried to put a stop to it sooner."

Ken bit his lip and shrugged. "I didn't think that anyone would believe me," he said before he could stop himself.

T.K. stepped closer to him until their foreheads were touching. "I'll always believe in you," his friend said softly, staring into his eyes.

Ken turned his face away, his emotions uncertain, but T.K. had already directed his attention to the surrounding area.

"I can feel it," the blond murmured, glancing anxiously at the forest behind them. "It's close."

Ken did not have to ask what his friend was talking about. He could feel it, too, and this time it was stronger than anything he had experienced so far. "It's coming for me," he whispered.

T.K.'s face had grown pale, and Ken felt the blond grab him in what was obviously a protective gesture.

"What are we going to do?" Patamon whispered, fluttering onto T.K's head and looking scared.

"Their master's really angry," he moaned, clutching Wormon tightly. "I broke the deal and now he's come for me himself instead of sending his servants. I can feel it in my bones."

"What deal?" T.K. asked, looking confused.

Ken did not answer. Instead he buried his face against T.K.'s shoulder and shivered.

"Ken," T.K. said softly, gently rubbing his back. "Kari and I have learned to fight the darkness, but that does not mean that we can't still feel it when it tries to hurt someone else. You, Kari, and I have always been sensitive that way. I'm not going to let you fight this alone."

"They're going to take me," Ken sobbed quietly into his friend's neck. "I know it."

"No!" T.K. said sharply. "I won't let them."

"We'll protect you," Wormon whispered.

Ken wanted to believe them, but he did not see how that was going to be possible.

T.K.'s eyes suddenly shifted towards the village, and Ken watched his friend's gaze fill with horror.

"No, my dream," T.K. whispered, his fingers tightening on Ken's arms. "It can't be!"

Ken was about to ask what T.K. meant when he realized that the taint of evil was not coming from the forest. It was coming from the town. The darkness was not coming after him. It was coming for his friends. That's when he heard Yolei scream.


	17. The World Of Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Only three chapters left to go!

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 17: The World Of Darkness

_Ken Ichijouji_

"Yolei!" Ken gasped, his heart pounding with terror. _They said they wanted me!_

_"_Come on!" T.K. shouted, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the street. "We have to help them!"

"T.K.! I think we should digivolve right away!" Patamon insisted.

T.K. nodded, and Patamon turned to look at Wormon who was still in his arms. "Are you ready?"

"Ready," Wormon replied.

"Patamon digivolve to, Angemon!"

"Wormon digivolve to, Stingmon!"

"This way," Angemon said quietly, flying forward.

Ken followed after T.K. and the digimon feeling frightened. _What if the shadows have hurt them? What if they're dead?_

They came to the centre of the village, and Angemon put out a hand to stop them. "They were here," the angel murmured. "Yolei and Cody."

A group of digimon stood huddled near the edge of a large fountain looking frightened.

"What happened here?" Stingmon asked, crouching in front of the group of rookies.

"Those shadow things took them!" a Floramon gasped. "We were playing a game of catch with Yolei and Cody when those things appeared out of nowhere."

"They grabbed your fellow Digidestined and disappeared through this portal that led to a world filled with darkness," a Gotsumon added, shuddering.

"The Dark Ocean," Ken whispered, sinking down onto the edge of the fountain.

Angemon sat next to him and placed a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"It's like the dream I kept having," T.K. said in a shaky voice, almost to himself. "In my dream, those dark shadows kept trying to grab me, but the light from my crest would always drive them away. This person comes out of the forest and tells me that they're in trouble. I think he meant my friends. That's when I hear this horrible laugh. It belongs to him, their master, the one that the shadows answer to. It all makes sense now. The other guy tells me that I'm too late, and it's all coming true! Those shadows and their master have captured our friends!"

Ken stared at T.K. and stopped breathing. Suddenly he understood. T.K. had not been reading a book on dream interpretation because the blond had discovered that he had been having nightmares. His friend had been reading that book because T.K. himself had been having nightmares. Not only that, T.K. had been having the exact same nightmare that he had been having, one of his nightmares anyway.

"T.K.," he whispered, his heart pounding and his eyes filling with emotion. It was obvious that the blond had not meant to speak those words aloud.

T.K. slowly turned to look at him, and they stared at each other for a moment. T.K.'s eyes filled with recognition, and the blond sank to his knees in front of him.

"It was you," his friend whispered in shock. "You were the person that was in my dream warning me about the others. You were the one that warned me about the darkness." T.K.'s eyes sparkled with sadness. "Ken, you said that you couldn't do it alone. You said that you weren't strong enough. You said that the darkness had gotten control of something...what was it? What is it they have managed to manipulate?"

Tears filled Ken's eyes, and he placed his hand against T.K.'s cheek. "Me," he whispered.

"No," T.K. moaned, shaking his head in denial. "They haven't. You're not like them."

T.K. bowed his head, as if in prayer, and Ken knew. T.K. was the boy who had offered to take his hand in that dream. T.K. had been the figure surrounded by light who had told him that the choice was his. _How could I not have seen it sooner? The figure had talked about hope. The figure had offered to help me..._With all the commotion last night, he had completely forgotten about the book, and his dream.

"T.K.," Angemon whispered, placing a hand upon his partner's head.

T.K. looked up and his sparkling blue eyes were filled with tears. "It's not too late, Ken," the blond whispered. "I won't let it be."

Ken allowed T.K. to take his hand and gazed into his friend's eyes. The light from his dream that night had been the Crest of Hope. "I know," he murmured and smiled.

"Ken, look!" Stingmon shouted.

Ken jerked around to see a group of digimon running towards them.

"They're gone!" an Otamamon cried. "The shadows took them!"

Ken scrambled to his feet and pulled T.K. up with him. "You mean Davis and Kari?"

"That's right," a Mushroomon replied, gasping for breath. "They pulled them away into this creepy looking world!"

Ken's heart filled with rage. "They're trying to lure me in by using my friends as bait! This wasn't part of the deal!" he screamed in hopes that their dark master would hear him.

"Ken," T.K. said slowly, wiping his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Ken's whole body quivered with anger at the injustice of it all. "They wanted to take you from me!" he shouted, not caring what he said anymore. "But I wouldn't let them! When you saved me from the darkness last night, it broke the deal I had made with the shadows. They told me that if I was to protect you then I would have to give myself up to the darkness! They never said that they were going to go after my other friends!":

"Ken," T.K. whispered, the expression on his face turning to one of awe.

"I'm right here!" Ken shouted at the town. "If you want me then come and get me because I'm not going to let you hurt my friends!"

"Ken, don't!" Stingmon cried, grabbing hold of him and hugging him tightly.

The back of Ken's neck exploded with pain and suddenly the shadows were everywhere. They seemed to have materialized out of thin air, but instead of coming for him, they went straight for T.K.

The rookie digimon started to scream with terror as one of the shadows latched onto T.K.'s arm.

"Let go!" T.K. shouted, trying to pull his arm free.

_"You're coming with us," _one of the shadows whispered.

"I don't think so!" Angemon snapped, leaping into the air. "Let go of my partner this instant! Hand of Fate!"

The blast slammed into the shadow who squealed and disappeared. Unfortunately there were many others to take it's place.

"Get off!" T.K. cried, as three more shadows latched onto him and started to drag him backwards.

"Stingmon!" Ken gasped. "Help him!"

"Right! Spiking Strike!"

Stingmon shot forward and sank the stinger on his arm straight into one of the shadows which had a hold on T.K.'s shirt. The thing staggered, but it did not loosen it's grip.

"Why isn't it working?" Ken gasped, his heart filling with fear.

"It won't work unless you believe in yourself and your digimon," T.K. mumbled, his eyes falling closed.

Ken watched in horror as T.K.'s body began to fade away in a swarm of static.

"No!" Angemon shouted, diving out of the sky and making a grab for T.K.

At once the shadows leaped on the angel and pinned him to the ground.

The rookie digimon went scattering in all directions screaming at the top of their lungs.

"We have to do something!" Stingmon shouted, landing beside him.

Ken reacted without thinking. He raced forward, knocking one of the shadows out of his way, and grabbed onto T.K.'s arm. "Give him back!" he screamed. "I promised T.K. I wouldn't let you take him, and I'm not going to break my promise!"

"Ken, no!" Stingmon gasped, streaking forward through the air and grabbing for him.

Angemon managed to break free from the shadows and flew over to him and Stingmon.

"Ken, you don't know what you're doing," the angel said, grabbing him around the waist. "If you do this then you're just going to end up captured like the others!"

"I don't care!" he snapped. "I'm not going to let them get away with taking my other friends either!"

_"You're mine!" _one of the shadows hissed in his face.

Ken looked down at himself and let out a shriek. Like T.K., his body was fading away in a mist of static.

He felt himself being pulled away from the reality of the Digital World and everything went black.

Ken slowly opened his eyes and found himself gazing up at a cloudy grey sky. The ground beneath him was hard and his head ached.

"Where am I?" he mumbled.

"Ken, are you alright?" a voice said softly in his ear.

He turned his head and discovered Angemon kneeling next to him. The angel had a hand on his arm, and he looked concerned.

"I think so," he replied.

Angemon helped him into a sitting position, and he glanced frantically around at his new surroundings. He was lying in the sand next to what looked like an ocean. The water appeared dirty, and the air felt clammy against his skin.

"Where are T.K. and Stingmon?" he gasped, his fingers tightening on Angemon's wing. _Please don't let them be dead..._

Angemon shook his head. The angel's eyes were filled with fear for his human partner. "I don't know. When I regained consciousness, you were the only one here."

"Ken! Angemon!" a sudden voice shouted.

Ken jerked his head up and spotted T.K. racing towards him with Stingmon. He almost sobbed with relief.

"T.K., you're safe," he whispered.

T.K. sank to the ground in front of him, and he felt the blond slip an arm around him. "Ken, I thought something might have happened to you. I was so worried," his friend said softly in his ear.

His lip trembled, and he hid his face against T.K.'s golden hair. "Same here," he whispered back.

Angemon moved quickly to T.K.'s side and hugged his partner from behind. "T.K., you should be more careful," the angel murmured into his partner's hair.

"Ken, I thought I lost you," Stingmon said quietly.

Ken put a hand on his partner's arm and smiled. "Not today. Where are we?"

"We're in the world of the Dark Ocean," T.K. replied, stroking Angemon's wing in reassurance. The blond nodded towards the large body of water in front of him. "This is where Kari and I ended up the first time she was pulled into this world."

"The girls and I ended up in a forest," Ken mumbled. "T.K., I don't understand how they managed to pull you in here."

T.K. smiled slightly and sighed. "I may be strong, Ken, but even I can't stop over a hundred of those shadows by myself."

Ken's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you."

"No, Ken," T.K. said firmly. "Don't feel guilty. You have enough things to worry about. Right now we have to focus on finding Davis and the others."

"Right."

They all stood up, and Ken glanced anxiously at the landscape. T.K. and Stingmon had come running up from behind a wooden fence that appeared to lead away from the beach. Obviously his blond friend had not spotted anyone out there. _So where could they be?_

"_Looking for someone?" _

Ken spun around at the sudden voice and let out a cry of terror. The dark shadows had decided to make an appearance. Hundreds of them swarmed out of a cave opening that had been carved into the side of a rock wall, about fifty feet away from him. The shadows were not alone. Hanging over their shoulders were the unconscious forms of Davis, Yolei, Cody, Kari, Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Gatomon.

"Let them go!" T.K. shouted, his eyes sparkling with anger.

"Stay back," Stingmon instructed, moving in front of him and T.K. with Angemon.

Ken felt sick to his stomache. _Please don't let them be dead. Please don't let them be dead..._

"No," he whispered, tears falling silently down his cheeks. _We're too late. The darkness has won. _His friends were dead, and it was all his fault. He would never be able to forgive himself. Not for this.

"They can't be dead, they just can't be!" T.K. said, his voice harsh. "I know it."

"How?" Ken said dully, not really caring what the answer was. Nothing mattered anymore. The darkness could have him. He was nothing without his friends.

"Does anyone else have a feeling that we just walked right into a trap?" Angemon said slowly.

Ken felt Stingmon's hand close around his arm and watched his partner digimon nod in agreement.

"I must admit, you've all caught on pretty quick for such a pathetic group of fools," a new voice said with a harsh cold laugh.

Ken knew that laugh. It was the same one that had been in the dream that he and T.K. had shared. _On no. Not him again! Anyone but him!_

His heart filled with icy dread, and he slowly turned back towards the cave. A dark figure had emerged from the cave's entrance. A small whimper of pure utter terror escaped his lips, and he held tight to his blond friend's body.

The digimon that had come before them was not just any digimon. He was standing face to face with something straight out of a nightmare. Daemon.


	18. Dealing With Evil Digimon

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Two chapters left to go! The next one will be called: The Price He Must Pay.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 18: Dealing With Evil Digimon

_Ken Ichijouji_

"I see you remember me," Daemon said quietly, gliding towards them. "I told you I would be back for you, Ken, and I always keep my promises."

"How?" Ken whispered, holding T.K.'s arm in a death grip. "That was years ago!"

"The strength of you and your friends, which put me here in the first place, acted like a barrier to prevent me from escaping this world. But you have let your guard down, Ken, and I am once more able to cross between worlds. Now it is time for you to give me what is rightfully mine!"

"Never!" Stingmon snapped, standing protectively in front of him. "If you want Ken, you'll have to go through me first!"

"Impossible!" T.K. whispered, staring at Daemon in shock. "You're the 'Undersea Master' that those so-called Scubamon wanted to double-cross?"

"Don't be a fool!" Daemon snapped, his voice radiating contempt. "Their 'Undersea master' was a digimon named Dragomon. My servants here wanted to get rid of him because he was weak!"

Daemon gestured at the shadows clustered around him with one arm and let out a dry laugh. "They have wanted to feed on the happiness of humans and digimon for a long time, but their master failed to take over both worlds when you Digidestined kept battling away the darkness. Dragomon could not tolerate the light and because of that, he was confined to this world without outside help. That is why he sent forth his servants to do his bidding. His original plan was to capture the Child of Light. Her crest was partially responsible for many of the failed attempts to seize control of the human world and Digital World alike. That way the light of the Digiworld would be drastically weakened, and he could break free from his prison into a world with the potential for darkness to run rampant. Unfortunately for him, his servants were tired of waiting. Instead of following their master's orders, they decided to seize the Child of Light for themselves and use the power of her crest to defeat Dragomon."

"So when Kari's power proved to be too strong against the darkness, and you appeared here in the Dark Ocean, they turned to you instead," T.K. said softly. "The strength of Kari's crest prevented her from submitting to them, something they had not expected, so when you arrived, they saw it as a new opportunity to defeat their 'Undersea Master'."

"What did you promise them to get obedience, when they would not obey Dragomon?" Angemon asked, and sent the shadows a look of disgust.

"I promised to give them what Dragomon could not," Daemon whispered. "The chance to feed on human's and digimon's souls alike. Unlike Dragomon, I do not fear the light. Now, Ken, it is time for you to give me what I seek."

Ken stepped back in fear and felt T.K.'s arm slip protectively around him. "What are you talking about? Nothing I have is going to help you with your crazy plans," he replied, his voice trembling.

"That's where you are wrong," Daemon replied, his icy laugh sending chills down Ken's spine. "Before when I said that I could cross between worlds, well, that wasn't exactly the truth. I am now able to influence things that occur in the human world and the Digital World, but I cannot yet enter them physically. The power of the Digidestined working together still holds me back somewhat. As you may have noticed, I am able to manipulate dreams."

Daemon gazed at Ken, his body radiating power. "This new ability of mine seems to have worked quite well. You have let the dreams affect you, Ken. Everytime you let the darkness sway you, myself and my servants grow stronger. Now there is only one piece left in the puzzle, and once I have that, I will be free to enter the human world and the Digital World once more."

Ken stood there, paralyzed with shock. _Everytime the shadows appeared to me, they grew more intense and they grew in numbers. Now I understand why. It's because I had let myself slip further and further into darkness..._

T.K. looked at him and smiled sadly. "When you have darkness in your heart, the shadows come to life and lure you in. They try to make you surrender to that darkness. It's like I said before, they are only a physical representation of what is in the heart when it starts to lose the battle against evil. You are not a quitter, Ken," his friend said quietly. "Don't give up now when you are so close."

"Stay out of this!" Daemon snapped. "You've caused enough trouble!"

Ken tightened his hand on T.K.'s arm and frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean?" T.kK asked, giving Daemon a suspicious look.

"If it wasn't for you, Child of Hope, Ken would have submitted to me along time ago! Under normal circumstances, the darkness would have already taken Ken, but somehow you have managed to keep it at bay. You have been affecting his dreams as well and that has made things more difficult. Did you never wonder why you heard my voice speaking to you? I thought my warning would be enough to keep you from sticking your nose in where it wasn't wanted!"

Ken stared at T.K. in shock. "You heard Daemon's voice, too?" He now realized that the voice he had been hearing was the digimon's standing right in front of him, but to find out that T.K. had been hearing Daemon as well was completely unbelievable.

T.K. slowly nodded. "I heard him," the blond said softly. "He said that he was going to hurt you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ken whispered.

"Why didn't _you _tell me?" T.K. countered, his eyes filled with emotion.

Ken blushed and stared at the sand. "I heard it on the street in the real world, and I heard it in the Digiworld," he said reluctantly.

T.K. just stared at him, and his blush deepened. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

The blond raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to him. "So, what else haven't you told me?" his friend whispered very softly.

Ken swallowed hard, his heart pounding, and turned to look at Daemon. "Later," he mumbled. "Right now we have more important things to worry about."

"How am I able to affect Ken's dreams?" T.K. demanded, turning to glare at Daemon.

"The Digidestined all share a special connection to one another," Daemon said quietly, turning to look at Ken. "The only thing that has been standing in the way of my plans so far was the power of hope. Your friend somehow sensed that and has been protecting you without even realizing it. Hope is the light inside and the most powerful force against darkness."

Ken slowly turned to look at T.K. who stood next to Angemon, and his eyes filled with tears. "You did that for me?" he whispered, not daring to believe Daemon's words.

T.K. slipped an arm around Angemon and snuggled against his partner's side. "I understand now," the blond said softly, and Ken found himself gazing into T.K.'s clear blue eyes. "I wondered how my problems with dreams and stuff could be connected to your problems, Ken. It all makes sense now. You were calling out for help, and I heard you. That's why we shared the same dreams. I could sense that you needed me, that you needed my strength, my hope, to help you fight Daemon and the darkness."

T.K. moved forward, and the blond placed warm hands on his shoulders. "I answered your cry for help, Ken," T.K. whispered. "You're my friend, and I would do anything for you, even without you needing to ask."

"T.K..." The tears streamed down Ken's face. He leaned into T.K.'s chest, his cheek coming to rest against the blond's shoulder. "Why do you do this to me?" he whispered.

T.K. was about to answer, but Stingmon stepped forward and gave Daemon a look of confusion. "Kari has the Crest of Light. Why would she not be the one to help Ken?"

"The Crest of Light and the Crest of Hope are similar, but there are still differences between them. There is no doubt that the Child of Light has been feeling the taint of darkness, but the source of it would be unrecognizable to her. The nature of the Crest of Light is not the kind of thing that works best against this type of darkness. It's the power of hope that Ken needs, not the Crest of Light. That's why his friend here was able to connect with him so strongly. Unfortunately for Ken, even the powers of the Crest of Hope won't help him now. Once I get my hands on the real prize, nothing will be able to save him!"

"And what exactly would this prize be?" Stingmon asked.

Ken felt his partner's hand rest protectively on his shoulder, and he quickly pulled away from T.K. feeling embarrassed.

"The Spore," Daemon whispered.

"No!" Ken gasped in horror, and the back of his neck stung with sudden almost unbearable pain. _What's happening to me? _He let out a scream of agony and fell to his knees. _I can't stand it. Make it stop..._

"Ken!" Stingmon cried, kneeling next to him and grabbing his arms. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"Ken, No!" T.K. shouted, racing forward and dropping down in front of him. "If you give up, then Daemon will get the Spore and that means he'll win!"

From far away, Ken could hear Daemon laughing.

"Once I have the Spore, it's dark powers will release me from my prison, and I will be free to enter the human world and Digiworld once more. The powers of the Digidestined are strong, but the powers of the Spore are stronger! Not even the Crest of Hope will be able to stop me once I have it in my possession."

"No! You're wrong!" T.K. shouted. "Ken, look at me!"

From behind a thin haze of darkness that covered his eyes, Ken managed to gaze into T.K.'s frightened blue eyes.

"Ken, listen," T.K. whispered, his tone urgent. "Daemon's wrong. The power of the Spore is not greater than that of the Digidestined. Haven't we already proved that to you? Our power was what helped you to give up the ways of the Emperor. The Spore helped you to become the Emperor in the first place, and we defeated it! Don't you see, Ken? You are stronger than the darkness, but you have to fight! You can't give up or what Daemon said will be true!"

"T.K.'s right," Angemon said softly, placing a hand on his head. "You are pure of heart, Ken. Do not let the darkness taint what is good. I have always believed in you and so have the rest of our friends. Do not let us doubt our own faith in you."

"My neck hurts," he mumbled, unable to think straight. The darkness was spreading within him and soon it would consume him. _No. I don't want to go back to being the Emperor. I want to be good. I want to stay with my friends. _Two lone tears slipped from his eyelashes, but he barely noticed. It was hard to concentrate with the darkness spreading through his body.

He felt T.K.'s warm fingers gently brush against the back of his neck, and the blond let out a sharp gasp.

"Ken," T.K. whispered. "It's back. The bar code is visible on your skin."

Ken let his eyes fall closed and let out a soft cry of sadness. He could picture it perfectly in his mind. When he was secure in his identity, the back of his neck remained free of any markings. When he let the darkness enter his soul, an angry red bar code would appear. It was the colour of blood, and it glowed with a creepy light.

"Soon, I will have everything that I need," Daemon whispered.

Ken managed to lift his head and gazed at Daemon. The darkness in his eyes had grown thicker, but he could still see the demon digimon's hand stretched out towards him.

"Ken, Please," Stingmon said, his voice thick with worry. "I know that the past is behind you. You're a good person, and all of your friends know it, too. It doesn't have to be this way."

He felt Stingmon's fingers under his chin, and his head was slowly lifted.

Through the darkness, he could see his partner's face.

"Ken, you and I have been through so much together. Do you really want to just give up now after everything we've had to endure? I still believed in you even when you were the Emperor, and I was right to have had such undying faith. You mean everything to me, Ken, not only to me, but to our friends as well."

Stingmon nodded to where Davis and the others lay unconscious on the ground, surrounded by a group of giggling shadows. "They're counting on you, Ken. You are the only one who can still save them. Do you really want to fail your friends? You would never be able to live with yourself if you did."

"But, they're dead," he whispered, the tears now streaming down his cheeks.

"No, Ken," Angemon said softly. He felt the angel's arms go around him, and he hid his face against the digimon's chest. "They are still alive. I know it in my heart. They may not be aware of what's happening, but they are still here with you in spirit, and they believe in you."

"So do I," T.K. whispered, the blond's head coming to rest against his shoulder. "Angemon's right. Our friends are alive, but if we let Daemon win, then they may not survive."

The other two stepped back, and Stingmon's arms went around him in a hug.

"Please, Ken," Stingmon whispered into his hair. "Do it for your friends, for Angemon, for T.K., for me, for yourself. You're my partner, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you or I will die trying. Give me a chance to help you save yourself."

The strength of those words left Ken feeling a sense of awed reverence. Despite everything that he had done to Stingmon, when he was the Emperor, his digimon still cared for him. Forgiveness was a strange thing and yet, it gave a person a reason to keep living...

"I love you, Stingmon," he said through his tears. "You're the best digimon partner ever. I don't deserve you after everything I did to you."

"You deserve all the happiness in the world, Ken," Stingmon replied. "You are the only partner that I have ever wanted, and I care about you more than you will ever realize. You're a Digidestined, Ken. I love you for all of your virtues and all of your faults. Now prove to Daemon that you are a true Digidestined."

"Digidestined never give up," T.K. said firmly.

"It's too late for him!" Daemon cackled. "He and the Spore belong to me now! You fools can never defeat me! I am the most powerful digimon in the Digital World. I am the Powers of Darkness and nothing can stop me!"

Stingmon slowly stood up and turned to Daemon with contempt. "It's time that your reign of terror was ended once and for all."

Angemon stepped up beside Stingmon and put a hand on the other digimon's shoulder. "I think we need to bring his ego down a peg or two. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan to me, lets go!"

Both digimon leaped into the air and headed straight for Daemon.


	19. The Price He Must Pay

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: One more chapter left to go! It's going to be called: A Friend Like You.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 19: The Price He Must Pay

_Ken Ichijouji_

"No," Ken whispered, watching the two digimon advance towards Daemon. "You can't. He'll kill you both..."

"Angel Rod!" Angemon brought the staff down on Daemon's head, but it did not quite have the effect that the angel had been looking for.

Instead of sending Daemon falling to the sand, the demon digimon let out a menacing laugh and ripped the staff out of Angemon's hand.

Daemon whirled around, robes flying, and hit Angemon in the stomache with it. The angel flew several feet over the sand and ended up flat on his back.

"Angemon! Be careful!" T.K. shouted.

"Out of my way!" Daemon snarled. "Ken is mine!"

"Not if I can help it!" Stingmon snapped. "Spiking Strike!" He dived out of the sky and caught Daemon in the side. The attack slashed Daemon's robes, but other than that, it seemed to have no effect.

The shadows jeered and continued to pace in a tight circle around Davis and the others.

Deep inside, Ken was fighting a battle of his own. The darkness had spread through him so much that he could feel it running through his veins. The pain in his neck had become almost unbearable, and he could just barely see through the haze of darkness covering his eyes.

T.K. had moved in front of him again and was holding him tightly by the shoulders.

"Ken, can you hear me?" his blond friend asked in an urgent voice. "Please listen to me. This doesn't have to happen! You have the power to fight this!"

"I'm sorry, T.K.," he whispered, slumping forward into his friend's arms. "I'm sorry I'm not strong enough. I'm sorry I've failed you all."

He felt T.K. catch him around the shoulders again, and the blond held on.

"No," T.K. said, his voice trembling. "You are strong enough, and you haven't failed anyone. Don't talk like that! We have the power to defeat Daemon, but our digimon need your help. Don't let the Spore consume you, Ken. I know that's not what you want. You have to fight!"

Ken's head drooped onto the blond's shoulder, and he turned slightly to gaze at the battle taking place across the sand. A sob escaped his throat. Daemon was winning.

"Stand aside!" Daemon snapped, knocking Stingmon away. "You're only wasting time! In only a matter of minutes, Ken will be mine! When are you fools going to learn that you cannot stop the inevitable!"

"When are you going to accept the fact that good always triumphs over evil!" Angemon shouted from the air. "Hand of Fate!"

The angel's attack rained down from the sky straight for Daemon's head, but the demon digimon dodged out of the way.

Stingmon was there to meet him and kicked Daemon hard in the stomache.

It barely even registered. Daemon flew backwards several feet, but he did not fight back.

Strangely enough, Daemon appeared to be trying to get away from Angemon and Stingmon.

In fact, Daemon had eyes only for him. Ken could feel that menacing stare eating away at his soul. Soon he would be nothing but a shell of what he had once been. Soon, his only use would be as a tool for darkness.

Daemon made another attempt to pass Stingmon, but Angemon dived out of the sky and tackled the demon digimon to the sand.

"You're not going anywhere," the angel said with authority, shoving his hand right in Daemon's face. "Hand of Fate!"

Daemon's head disappeared in the explosion, but he was not down for long. He shoved Angemon off and floated into the sky above the battlefield. "Enough of these pathetic games! It's time you were deleted!" Daemon shouted, spreading his arms wide. "Evil Inferno!"

"No, stop!" Ken screamed at the top of his lungs. He turned his face into T.K.'s shoulder, unable to watch, and heard his blond friend let out a cry of dismay.

The sound made him jerk his head up, and he gasped. Stingmon and Angemon had disappeared in a blaze of fire. When the smoke cleared, both digimon were laying unconscious on the ground. Immediately a group of shadows broke away from the large pack that had surrounded Davis and the others. This smaller group attached themselves to Angemon and Stingmon, preventing the digimon from going after Daemon if they decided to wake up again.

Daemon let out a mad laugh that chilled Ken to the bone. "Now, Ken," the demon digimon whispered. "You are mine."

Ken tried to scream, but found that he could not utter a sound. Cold hands latched onto his arms, and he felt himself being yanked out of T.K.'s grasp.

His body was dragged across the sand like a sack of potatoes, and he could hear T.K.'s cries of terror.

Somehow he managed to look up and almost lost the contents of his stomache. Daemon's face swam before his eyes and appeared to shimmer in the haze of darkness that clouded his vision. The demon digimon held him in a viselike grip, and Ken knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the end was near.

_T.K. Takaishi_

T.K. stood frozen in horror at the sight of Ken trapped in Daemon's grip. He was frightened for his friends, and his digimon, but most of all, he was frightened for Ken.

_I have to do something! I have to save him! But...how?_ His mind was a complete blank. All he could think about was that if he did not do something quick, he would lose one of his best friends forever.

"Ken!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet. "Ken! Can you hear me?"

Ken remained limp and motionless in Daemon's grasp. The demon digimon clamped a hand around the back of Ken's neck, and his friend started to scream in agony.

"No, stop!" T.K. shouted, feeling a hatred for Daemon that was greater than anything he had ever felt for Devimon. Digimon partners could be reconfigured. Human friends could not.

"Ken!" he cried desperately, his heart filled with so much terror that he could barely breath. "You don't have to let it end this way! Please fight! I know you can do it. Don't let Daemon get away with stealing the happiness that you deserve! This is not your destiny! You belong with me and our other friends. We are your destiny, not the darkness! Deep inside, you are every bit as capable of love as the rest of us!"

He sank to his knees again and covered his face with his hands. "You're a wonderful person, Ken," he whispered, his heart filled with sadness. "Why can't you see that?"

"Soon the process will be complete!" Daemon cackled. "Once I have absorbed the Dark Spore, then nothing will be able to stop me!"

"Ken," Stingmon whispered, his voice weak. The digimon tried to lift his head, but once more he fell back against the sand in a state of unconsciousness. The shadows laughed and continued to hover over the fallen forms of their digimon partners.

Slowly Ken lifted his head and T.K. found himself gazing into the former Emperor's haunted violet eyes. The pain in Ken's gaze was almost unbearable to watch, and T.K. felt his own heart cracking into several pieces. Those violet eyes were filled with sadness, despair, and an emptiness that T.K. had never seen in them before. Ken was giving up.

_No! He can't!_

"T.K.," Ken whispered, his voice racked with pain from the Spore's dark energy.

T.K. stared at Ken in horror, the beating of his heart coming to a dead stop. Tendrils of black mist were seeping out of Ken's body and wrapping themselves around Daemon. With every second, the former Emperor's body seemed to grow weaker and weaker.

If he did not do something soon, there would be nothing left of Ken except a vague form of what had once been. Despite the physical and emotional pain that Ken was suffering, his friend still struggled to speak.

"I do care," Ken whispered, his eyes shifting in and out of focus. "I know it didn't always seem like it, but it's true."

"What is?" T.K. whispered, unable to look away. Those sudden words had caught him completely off guard.

"T.K..." Ken sagged in Daemon's grip, but the evil digimon held tightly to him preventing him from falling. The former Emperor coughed loudly and managed to lift his pale face again. "If I could change the way that things have turned out for us, I would," Ken whispered, tears streaming slowly down his cheeks. "But it's too late. You need to know that...that I've always cared about you just as much as I care about the others. You're a good friend, T.K. Please remember that I said that. Please remember all of the good things about me, if there are any..."

"Ken, don't..." T.K. felt tears start to slide down his own cheeks, but he did not care. So many wasted years that they could have spent as friends. They had had so many chances to create wonderful memories of each other, and they had thrown them all away. How many opportunities could they have spent time together, and they had let each one pass them by. This was the price of lost friendship. This was the price he had to pay for failing to recognize the wonderful gift that had been given to him and the others not so long ago. Ken.

"No," he whispered tearfully, his blue gaze coming to rest on Ken's pale face. "Don't give up! Don't you see? You're one of the best things that has ever happened to me! I realize that now, and I'm sorry! I'm so sorry..."

"Quit your pathetic whining!" Daemon snapped. "Very soon none of this is going to matter anymore, anyway! Not that it ever did matter. All this sentimental garbage is for those who are weak!"

The demon digimon tightened his hold on Ken who let out another scream of agony more painful than the first one. Somehow the former Emperor managed to swallow it, and once again T.K. found himself gazing into Ken's mesmerizing eyes.

"What?" Ken asked very softly. For a moment the former Emperor's gaze slipped out of focus, but then it was clear again, and T.K. could see something glimmering just beneath those deep violet depths.

A spark of hope flaired so suddenly inside of T.K. that he almost gasped out loud. _Could it be? _This time there was no holding back. He had maybe only one chance to save Ken, and he needed every spark of emotion he had ever felt for his friend to make it work. He did not know how Ken would react, but the other boy had revealed to him that there was something more in their friendship that he had failed to see. Ken cared about him. That's what his friend had said. It was all he had to go on, and it was going to have to be enough. This time he had no choice but to rely on the very thing that the Digital World had seen inside of him all along. Hope.

He took a deep breath, his heart pounding, and gazed directly into Ken's smoky blue eyes. "Ken," he said, his voice breaking with suppressed emotion. "Do you realize how much you mean to me?" He sighed softly and wiped at his eyes. "No, of course you don't," he murmured. "Because I've never had the guts to tell you. I guess I was afraid to, but I'm not anymore!"

He hugged himself and managed a shaky smile. "Ken," he whispered, his voice trembling. "If you die today, I'll probably go mad with grief and they'll have to stick me in a padded cell. If I ever lost you, it would be like losing a part of my soul. Everyday that I'm around you, everytime that you're close to me, I can feel that special bond between us. Our friendship is strong. I can sense it, but the only way we're going to make it work is if we trust each other. Please, Ken? Trust me when I say that I care about you more than I could ever put into words. I refuse to throw this friendship away when I know how amazing it could be."

Ken's face wrinkled in an effort to hold back tears. "You...you care about me?"

The former Emperor's voice was so soft that T.K. had to strain his ears to hear it. Those words were filled with disbelief, as if Ken could not believe that they had actually been spoken.

"Of course I do," he whispered, that small spark of hope growing larger. He had thought that this revelation would ruin any chance of making Ken his friend, but instead it seemed to be bringing the former Emperor closer to him and away from the darkness. "Ken, you know I'm a terrible liar. There's no way I could have said something like that and made it sound so convincing if I didn't mean it with my whole heart and soul."

He took a step forward and reached out a hand towards his troubled friend. "Follow your heart, Ken," he said quietly, his voice shaking. "I know it will lead you back to me and our friends."

Ken was very weak in Daemon's grip, but he managed to lift a shaky hand towards him. "My heart isn't mine anymore." Ken's sudden sobs were filled with deep sadness and despair. "I always knew that eventually something like this would happen. All of the good things in my life seemed to good to be true, and I was right. I guess it's time for me to honour the debt I had made for myself. This is the price I have to pay for being the Emperor. There is no choice for me. There never was." Ken's tear filled eyes met his and sadness tore at his soul. The former Emperor's gaze was filled with loss and a deep longing to change the outcome of his terrible fate.

"No, Ken," he said, his voice growing stronger. _I will die before I ever let Daemon hurt you!_ "You have honoured your debt for the terrible things you did as the Emperor several times over already. Those days are done. Finished! Don't you see, Ken? I'm the one who's paying a terrible price here. My own stupidity is causing me to lose one of my best friends! I'm through with hiding my feelings from you! I love you just as much as I love my other friends and nothing anyone else says or does is ever going to change that!"

T.K. fell silent and held his breath, his heart almost bursting out of his chest. The words were out before he even had a chance to think about what he was saying. He closed his eyes in horror and let out a soft moan. _Ken is going to kill me. What have I done? There's no way he'll believe me. All I've managed to do is scare him off. Now the darkness is going to take him for sure..._

"What are you doing?"

Startled, T.K. jerked his head up at the sound of Daemon's angry voice and froze in astonishment.

Ken was no longer hanging limp in the demon digimon's grip. The former Emperor stood straight and the waves of darkness seeping out of his body had lessoned.

Ken was staring silently at him, and from the look on his friend's face, it was possible to believe that Daemon did not even exist. Those beautiful violet eyes were filled with deep longing and a fierce hope. Ken was desperate to believe. "You...you mean it? You actually care about...about me?" Ken's voice broke and thick tears streamed down his pale cheeks.

"Ken," he whispered shakily. "I care about you so much it hurts. If you let Daemon take you from me, how will I be able to prove it to you? Don't you want to give our friendship a chance? Don't you want me to show you how much you mean to me?"

"Yes," Ken murmured, his eyes burning with a sudden inner fire. "Yes, I want that more than anything."

T.K. could not believe it. Ken was fighting back. _It's working! I thought Ken would hate me after what I said, but he doesn't! Maybe he really does care about me after all, like he said, which means all this time we've been running in circles..._

Ken jerked his head up and gazed directly at Daemon, his deep blue eyes filled with disgust. "Let go!" the former Emperor shouted at the top of his lungs. He began to struggle in Daemon's grip, desperate to get free.

"Never!" Daemon snapped, and T.K. jumped as Daemon turned to gaze hatefully at him instead of Ken. "You are nothing but a meddlesome human! If you don't stay out of this, I will be forced to destroy you. In fact, now that I think about it, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe Ken will finally realize that he can't defeat me when he's forced to watch you die!"

"Don't touch him!" Ken shrieked, twisting around and hitting Daemon in the stomache. "Don't you dare go anywhere near him!"

T.K. smiled at Ken through his tears. "See, Ken? You're so amazing. How can I not care about you when you say things like that?"

"Shut up!" Daemon roared, now struggling to keep a firm grip on the back of Ken's neck.

T.K. was not about to quit talking for he had just spotted something that made him hold his breath. Angemon and Stingmon were waking up. His words were not only helping Ken, they were distracting Daemon as well.

Although Ken was still in a lot of pain, somehow the former Emperor still managed to blush and gave him a shaky smile. "I can't help it," Ken whispered softly. "You're just so nice and friendly. It makes me feel good inside."

"I'm glad," T.K. murmured. "And thank you."

Stingmon and Angemon flew out of the squealing mass of shadows and circled around Daemon's back, preparing themselves for battle.

Daemon was livid with anger. "It's time that you were destroyed, Child of Hope. I should have done this ages ago when you first started causing trouble! No matter. Your death will be even sweeter with your friend here to watch you suffer. This act will completely shatter the last of Ken's defences, and then the Spore will be mine!"

T.K. gasped as Daemon suddenly advanced towards him dragging Ken along for the ride. He started to back up, but the demon digimon was too quick for him. Daemon's cold, clammy hand latched onto his wrist, and he shuddered with revulsion.

"Time to die," Daemon whispered, and T.K. felt his whole body fill with agonizing pain.

"T.K.!" Angemon shouted, racing forward.

T.K. staggered, almost falling, and Ken's screams ripped through the air.

"Leave my friend alone!" Ken shrieked, pushing Daemon back and forcing the demon digimon to let go.

T.K. fell backwards into the sand and stared at Ken, utterly speechless. He barely even noticed when Angemon's arms went around him.

"I've had it!" Ken screamed, turning and hitting Daemon hard with his fists. "I'm through with you, and I'm through with darkness! I'm not the Emperor anymore, and I never will be ever again! I'm a Digidestined, and I'm the Child of Kindness! No one is ever going to take that away from me! I'm a good person, and my friends love me no matter what you say! It's one thing to try and hurt me, but I will die first before I will ever let you hurt my friends! Now get your filthy hands off me!"

"Those are lies!" Daemon hissed, hitting Ken hard in the face.

Ken let out a gasp and fell to his knees in the sand.

"Ken!"

Stingmon, who stood next to T.K., tried to go to his partner, but Angemon put a hand on the other digimon's arm to stop him. One wrong move could end with Ken being killed, and then it would have all been for nothing.

"You'll pay for that!" Stingmon snapped.

Daemon stared down at Ken and started to laugh. "You can't possibly believe all of that. Look at this idiot friend of yours!"

T.K. stiffened as Daemon pointed to him.

"He doesn't really care about you. All he cares about is saving his other friends, and he needs you to do that. All he's doing is using you. You are nothing but an excess piece of baggage to him!"

"That's not true!" T.K. shouted, raw anger bubbling up inside of him. "Ken's my friend. He means everything to me, and I don't have to prove it to you to make it real! All anyone has to do is look at me to see the truth."

He turned to face Ken, his heart pounding. "You know I would never lie about something like this," he whispered. "Who are you going to believe? Me or Daemon?"

Ken slowly looked up at Daemon and glared at the digimon with disgust. There was an angry red mark on the side of the former Emperor's face, but Ken did not seem to notice it.

"My friend says he cares about me," Ken said very softly. "Do you know how badly I've wanted this? Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear those words, how I've longed to hear them for four years now? That moment has finally come, and this time it's not a dream. I have a chance to be more happy than I have ever dreamed of being. Finally after dreaming about it for so long, I have a chance of having the kind of friendship with T.K. that I have always wanted."

Ken glared at Daemon, and through a haze of fresh tears, T.K. realized that the darkness no longer clouded Ken's deep blue gaze.

Ken reached into his shirt and pulled out the Crest of Hope and the Crest of Kindness. The former Emperor held them tightly in his hand, lifted his head, and gave Daemon a look of complete defiance. Ken was gazing into the very heart of darkness itself and staring it down without so much as blinking.

"I won't let you take this opportunity away from me," Ken whispered. "I won't let you steal my happiness, but most of all, I won't let you hurt my friends!"

"And just how do you plan to stop me?" Daemon hissed.

Ken actually smiled. "A friend once told me that wherever there is light, a person can always find darkness. But, with the power of hope, and the kindness that brings deep remorse to those who have been led astray, the darkness can always be kept at bay. Every world needs balance, but like Angemon said, when the darkness becomes to great, good will always triumph over evil."

"Oh...Ken..." With the sudden flood of emotion that swept through him, T.K. noticed a faint glow coming from between Ken's fingers. Ken slowly opened his hand and both crests exploded with light. Yellow and purple beams swirled around Ken, enclosing him in a golden ball of radiance.

The former Emperor stood up and gazed at Daemon with pity. "May Primary Village restore you and make you whole again," Ken whispered.

"What's happening!" Daemon shrieked, stumbling backwards.

Ken did not answer. Instead the former Emperor held out a hand. Beams of purple and yellow light streamed out of Ken's palm and slammed into Daemon with bone breaking force.

The demon digimon screamed in agony and fell to the sand. "This isn't suppose to be happening! How could you have become so strong?"

"That's the power of friendship," Ken said softly. "That's the power of the Digidestined."

T.K. looked down at himself in awe and discovered that he, too, was covered in purple and yellow light. So were Angemon and Stingmon.

"Lets finish this," Angemon said quietly, fluttering into the sky.

"Lets," Stingmon murmured, following after the angel.

"No!" Daemon howled, his body starting to smoke. The streams of mist seeped out from under his robes as if he was being burned alive. "This isn't suppose to happen! I am the most powerful digimon ever to exist! I cannot be defeated! No!"

"Yes, you can," T.K. snapped, holding out his own hand. The light from his body joined Ken's and together their light began to incinerate Daemon before their very eyes.

"Now!" Angemon shouted. "Hand of Fate!"

"Spiking Strike!"

Angemon's blast exploded into Daemon, and Stingmon dived after it. Ken's partner stuck his stinger into Daemon's back, and with one final scream, the demon digimon erupted into data and disappeared.

The shadows around Davis and the others shrieked in agony and slowly began to fade away as if they had never been.

Ken fell to his knees, and T.K. finally came to his senses.

"Ken!" he gasped in fear and raced to his friend's side.

He knelt next to the former Emperor and gently took the other boy by the shoulders. "Ken," he said, his voice a mere whisper.

Ken collapsed into his arms, and T.K. held his friend close as the former Emperor began to cry.


	20. A Friend Like You

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm such a sap! Can't you tell? This is the last chapter, and I hope you all like the ending. Hurry! Go read and please review!

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 20: A Friend Like You

_Ken Ichijouji_

After everything he had endured, Ken could do nothing but sob into his friend's shoulder. His whole body ached, and his emotions were completely out of control. It would be a miracle if he could function normally again after what had happened to him.

"I'll go check on the others," Angemon said quietly, standing up.

The angel crouched next to Davis and placed his fingers against the leader's throat, searching for a pulse. One by one he checked the rest of the group and finally sat back with a sigh of relief. "They're alive," he said softly.

"I thought you were sure of that before," T.K. joked.

Angemon laughed and sent his partner a warm smile. "Just making sure."

"Ken, look!" Stingmon suddenly shouted.

Ken jerked his head up, swallowed a sob, and stared around in amazement. The Dark Ocean was disappearing. Slowly the sand beneath them faded away in a mist of static and was replaced with a bed of green grass. Somehow he and all of his friends had ended up in a large field just outside of the digimon town.

"How?" he whispered, tightening his arms around T.K.'s waist.

"You stopped the darkness from entering your heart," T.K. whispered softly into his hair. "That's why you were able to defeat Daemon. That's why the Dark Ocean and the shadows disappeared. See?"

Ken felt T.K. gently run a finger over the back of his neck and sighed softly. It did not hurt at all.

"The bar code is gone," T.K. murmured. "You're free from the darkness, and I know you can keep it that way."

Ken wiped his eyes and turned slightly to gaze at Davis and the others. _They're safe._ The relief he felt was so overwhelming it almost crushed him and yet, at the same time, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"You saved them," T.K. whispered.

"Not by myself I didn't," he replied, his voice shaking. "You helped me, not just with our friends, but with all of it. I wouldn't have been able to defeat Daemon without you."

"What are friends for?"

Ken slowly looked up at him, and T.K. smiled. His friend's blue eyes sparkled in the sunshine, and the expression on the blond's face was one of happiness.

Feeling self-conscious, Ken quickly looked away. His tears had mostly dried up, but his emotions were still a jumble. He did not know what to think anymore. After everything that he had been through with T.K., and the words they had exchanged, it was hard not to be confused. The whole thing seemed like a dream, but the aches in his body proved otherwise. He had been through a terrible ordeal and had ended up pouring out his soul to the blond in front of him. He had never done something like that before, to such an extreme, and it left him feeling vulnerable. The good news was that he could no longer feel the taint of darkness, thanks to the crest, but he still felt a little afraid.

_What did I do? T.K. knows everything! The worst part is that he knows exactly how I feel about him..._

Ken's whole face heated up. He tried to pull away, but T.K. seemed to sense what he was thinking and held him tightly to his chest.

"Ken, look at me," T.K. said softly.

He couldn't. He wanted to, but he just couldn't.

The sudden feel of T.K.'s warm fingers against his cheek made him look up, and he found himself gazing into T.K.'s eyes which were filled with emotion.

"I know what you're thinking," the blond said quietly. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. I meant every word I said."

"T.K., I-"

T.K. held up a hand to stop him, and Ken broke off in confusion.

"Listen first," T.K. whispered, and Ken let out a gasp of surprise as his friend's golden head came to rest on his shoulder. "There are so many things I want to say. Ken, when I started having those dreams, I never realized it would come to this. Then, when I finally understood what was happening to you, I was so afraid."

T.K. fell silent, and Ken felt the blond pull him closer.

"I thought we were going to lose you. If we had, it would have been all my fault."

"No!" Ken protested, shaking his head in denial and getting a face full of silky blond hair. "T.K., you can't blame yourself. You-"

"It's true," T.K. interrupted. "I should have told you about what was happening to me a long time ago. I should have mentioned the dreams and the fact that I had heard Daemon's voice earlier."

"Why didn't you?" Ken whispered, gazing into T.K.'s tortured blue eyes.

T.K.'s arms tightened around his shoulders, and he let out a soft sigh. This was the kind of thing that he had wanted for so long, and it brought tears to his eyes. _I can't believe this is happening to me. It feels so right. It feels the way friendship is suppose to feel._

"I wanted to," T.K. said quietly, and Ken was surprised to hear a slight hesitation in his friend's words. He gently rubbed T.K.'s back, encouraging the blond to continue.

"In the last four years, you've been so distant from me," T.K. finally said, his voice trembling. "I didn't think that you would want my help. I didn't think that you...liked me very much."

Those words ended in a shaky whisper. Ken was so shocked that he stared at T.K. with his mouth hanging open. When he did not say anything, T.K.'s face turned pink, and the look in those sparkling blue eyes became extremely vulnerable.

_He thought that I didn't like him? But...but I thought that he didn't like me! How could I have been so stupid? How could I not have seen it? _

T.K.'s shocking revelation left him feeling completely stunned. For the first time ever, T.K. was the one who seemed embarrassed, not him.

_All this time we could have been friends, and I ruined it because I was too afraid to speak. I was too terrified to let my feelings show, and now I've ended up hurting both of us._

"T.K.?" he whispered.

T.K. slowly looked up at him. "Yes?" the blond asked, looking a little anxious.

For a moment Ken was tempted to run, but then he straightened his shoulders and looked T.K. squarely in the eye. His heart was pounding, and his hands were shaking, but this time he was not going to hold back.

_I thought hiding my feelings from T.K. would prevent me from getting hurt, but it hasn't. In fact, it's only made the pain even worse, and I've ended up hurting T.K. as well. If I had known..._

T.K. now appeared a little frightened, and Ken took a deep breath. _I have to do this. Sometimes you have to take risks if you want to be truly happy. Besides, I can't hide my feelings anymore. They're too strong._

After what T.K. had revealed to him, there was no turning back.

"T.K.?" he whispered, his voice breaking. "Can I hug you?"

T.K. stared at him.

Ken's face turned bright red, and he quickly squirmed away from T.K., convinced that he had made a mistake.

His heart filled with terrible pain and sadness. _He said he cared about me! Was Daemon right after all?_

T.K.'s face suddenly filled with emotion, and the blond's azure eyes filled with tears.

"Ken," T.K. said, his voice trembling. "You're my friend. You don't have to ask me something like that. You just do it."

Ken froze, unable to believe what he had just heard, and stared at T.K. in shock. Then he promptly burst into tears, flung his arms around the blond, and hugged T.K. as tight as he could.

"Besides," T.K. said with a small smile. "You kind of already were."

Ken blushed and started to laugh as T.K. hugged him back just as tightly.

He sighed softly, his head resting on T.K.'s shoulder, and let his eyes fall closed. He could feel the warmth of the blond's skin soaking into him, feel the beating of his friend's heart, and smell the soap his friend had used earlier that morning in the shower.

"Did you really mean what you said before to Daemon?" he asked.

"Every word," T.K. whispered softly in his ear.

"You don't know how badly I've wanted this," Ken mumbled, referring to the hug.

"Yes, I do," T.K. murmured. "I know because I've wanted to do the same thing."

Ken felt T.K.'s arms tighten around his waist and smiled through his tears.

He pulled back slightly so he could look into his friend's eyes and rested his forehead against the blond's. "Now it's my turn," he said quietly. "When I started having those dreams, I didn't realize that the blond boy was you. You took my hand and offered to help me. In one dream, you told me about hope, and you saved me from the Emperor. I realize now that I never should have doubted you. I started to hear Daemon's voice, and then you started acting weird. It scared me. I thought it was because you had found out that the darkness had been haunting me, and that it had made you angry. I didn't think that you wanted to be near me, to touch me, because of the darkness. I was tainted, and I was sure that I disgusted you. I had convinced myself that that was the reason we weren't friends. I thought you hated me because of the darkness, and that you didn't want me near you for fear that I would corrupt you."

"Ken!" T.K. said in complete shock, and he gasped as T.K.'s warm hands came to rest on his cheeks. "I would never think that way!" the blond said in disbelief. "All I've ever wanted is for you to be close to me! You are not tainted, Ken! You're kind, pure, gentle, sensitive, caring, and a loyal friend."

"You don't hate me because I was the Emperor?" he asked, feeling confused.

T.K. smiled through sudden tears. "Ken," his friend whispered. "I love you because you were the Emperor and you defeated the darkness in your heart to become the sweet person that you are today. Don't ever be afraid to show me how you feel. I want to see your smiles, feel your hugs, and experience the true depth of your friendship. Don't be afraid to reach out to me, because if you don't, I'm the one who's going to be reaching out to you!"

Ken's lip trembled at those words, and he hugged T.K. close to him. "Those were the reasons why I never told you how I felt. I was afraid that you would stomp all over my feelings and push me away. That's why I kept myself distant and stayed away from you. I would not have been able to handle it if you had done that. I figured that at least if I stayed away from you, and didn't make you angry by telling you how I feel, then we could at least have a shadow of a friendship. It was better than nothing. You were always there so close to me, since we hang out with the same group, and yet you always seemed so far away. I hated it," he whispered.

"Me, too," T.K. murmured.

"T.K.," he said, his voice shaking. "I really do care about you so much. I love you for everything that you've done for me and for just being you. I'm sorry for ruining things. I made you think that I hated you, and that's why it's taken us so long to get to this moment."

"It's my fault, too," T.K. replied, a tremor in his voice. "I hid my feelings from you because I was afraid that they would make you hate me. That was a mistake. It made you think that I didn't care when I really did, and it made you afraid to tell me how you felt."

"Then we're both to blame," Ken said softly with a smile.

"You really care about me?" T.K. asked, his voice sounding small.

Ken rested his cheek against T.K.'s and smiled. "More than I could ever express in words."

"Thank you for saying all of those things," T.K. whispered.

Ken nodded, and his face grew serious. "There's something else," he said quietly. "When I slept over at your house, I found the book about dream interpretation in your bag. I thought it meant that you had discovered that I had been having dreams and that you knew about the darkness. It scared me because I thought that it meant you hated me even more."

"So that's why you seemed so sad last night," T.K. murmured.

"Later, by the fountain, I realized that you had it because you were having dreams."

T.K. remained silent, and Ken began to feel very uneasy. _I shouldn't have told him that! Now he knows that I've been snooping and he's going to hate me!_

"T.K.," he said in a rush. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have snooped like that, but I was desperate to find out what was wrong with you and if it had anything to do with me."

"It's okay, Ken," T.K. said softly. "I'm not mad. In fact, I'm glad you found it. It played a huge role in helping us find each other. I would have done the same thing if I had been in your place."

"I lied to you that day when I told Davis that I had been in another bathroom," Ken said weakly. "I was in there with you, and I heard every word you said."

T.K. started to laugh and squeezed him tightly. "Oh, Ken. I really do care about you so much," the blond said softly.

Ken's cheeks turned pink again, and he hid his face against T.K.'s neck to hide his blush.

"Your uncertainties about me left you vulnerable, and Daemon used that to his advantage," T.K. said softly. "That's never going to happen again. In a way, this experience cleansed my soul, too. Suddenly everything that happened with Devimon doesn't seem so painful anymore..."

T.K. trailed off and suddenly pulled away from him, looking uncertain.

Ken smiled softly and touched his friend's shoulder. "T.K.," he said quietly to his friend's back. "I know about Devimon. I overheard Kari and Matt talking about him once. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it just sort of happened."

"And here I thought you hardly knew a thing about me," T.K. said, his voice strained. "I guess I was wrong."

The sympathy Ken felt for his friend was almost overwhelming. "T.K.?" he whispered. "Did it hurt as much for you when you lost Patamon as it did for me when I lost Wormon?"

T.K. slowly turned back around to face him, and there were tears running down the blond's cheeks. "Yes," T.K. whispered back, and somehow his friend managed to smile. "But at least I know I'm not alone anymore."

Ken lifted his hand and gently wiped the tears from his friend's cheeks. "Me either," he murmured. "I always thought that you and I had nothing in common, and now I realize that there has been something all along."

T.K.'s arms slipped around him, and his friend's warm body settled against him again. "We'll help each other through it," the blond said softly. "It's not something a person can understand unless they've been through it. Our digimon are still alive, but the memory still hurts."

"You know more about me than I thought you did," Ken echoed with a smile. "And now we both know that someone else does understand."

"Yeah," T.K. whispered.

"Hey, T.K.?" he said softly. "You're really lucky to have Matt."

"I know," T.K. murmured. "And you were lucky to have Sam. He's not dead, Ken. As long as you keep his memory alive in your heart, he will always be with you."

"Yeah," he whispered tearfully. He did not bother saying more. He knew T.K. understood.

Ken reached into his shirt and pulled out the Crest of Hope. He slipped it around T.K.'s neck and placed his hand against it's soft glow. "Here," he murmured. "I think this belongs to you."

"It belongs to all of the Digidestined," T.K. replied. "It wasn't just my hope that helped defeat Daemon, it was yours, too."

"Hope rests in the hearts of the innocent," Angemon said softly.

The angel stood close by with Stingmon, and the two digimon had an arm around each other. They had both remained silent through the tearful exchange, obviously recognizing it's importance, and both were now smiling.

Ken smiled back at them and nodded.

"It's the same with kindness," Stingmon added. "It came from both of your hearts, not just one."

"Ken?" T.K. whispered. "If you ever need it again, you know where to find me."

"Thank you," Ken replied, his voice trembling.

He hesitated. "Um...are we real friends now?"

"Always," T.K. murmured.

"Forever," Ken whispered back.

Tears were running down his face, but they were tears of pure joy. T.K. was his friend, T.K. loved him, and he knew that everything was going to be alright. He buried his face in T.K.'s hair, almost bursting with happiness. Never again would he be forced to hide his feelings. Life was beautiful, and he knew that, this time,with the help of his friends, the darkness truly would be kept at bay. He also realized something else. Not just one heart had been saved today. Two hearts had been saved, and that was something worth fighting for.

Ken smiled as both Angemon's and Stingmon's arms went around himself and T.K.

"Thanks for everything guys," he said softly.

"You're welcome," Angemon laughed, ruffling his hair.

"One more thing," Stingmon said. "The two of you are never going to get rid of us that easily!"

"I'd like to see you try it!" Angemon snorted.

T.K. laughed and hugged both digimon tightly. "I know. We love you guys."

"Yeah," Ken said softly.

"Same here," the digimon replied.

"What the heck?"

All four of them turned at the sound of Davis's voice to see that the others were just coming awake.

Ken sent his best friend a fond look and exchanged a smile of amusement with T.K. _Davis is going to flip when he finds out what happened. Knowing him, he'll mostly be upset about the fact that he didn't get to join in the big battle!_

"What happened?" Yolei mumbled, rubbing her forehead.

"Did we fall asleep?" Cody asked, looking confused.

"I feel like someone hit me over the head with a baseball bat!" Veemon moaned.

"I second that!" Gatomon groaned.

Kari glanced around for a moment, and then her eyes widened with fear. "Something happened!" she gasped. "I felt the darkness before everything suddenly went black!"

"Kari, are you alright?" Hawkmon asked, sounding concerned.

Ken jumped as Kari turned to look at him and T.K. "What happened? Are you two alright?" she cried in terror.

Ken nearly fell backwards as Kari threw herself at him and T.K., her arms going around them.

Suddenly they were surrounded by all of their friends and digimon who were all talking at once.

"We're fine," Ken murmured.

Kari pulled back and the group fell silent, staring at them in shock.

Ken's whole face went purple when he realized why. He and T.K. still had their arms around each other in a tight hug, something their friends had never seen before.

"How come you didn't tell them everything before?" he mumbled to T.K.

"I didn't want them to worry," T.K. whispered back.

Ken smiled. "Me either."

"What's going on?" Yolei said weakly.

Davis gaped at them for a moment and suddenly started to smile.

"We love you guys," T.K. said softly.

That caused some more jaw dropping, and Ken almost laughed.

"You guys had all better sit down," he murmured. "It's kind of a long story."

"I bet," Armadillomon muttered.

T.K. turned to him and smiled. "Do you want to tell them or should I?"

"Lets both tell them," he said softly.

T.K.'s warm cheek came to rest against his, and his hands came to rest between T.K.'s shoulder blades.

T.K. sighed at the warm contact and slowly they began to tell their friends about everything that had happened to them.

As Ken sat there in his friend's arms, feeling safe, he realized the most important thing.

The wall that had stood between himself and T.K. was no longer there. In less than twenty-four hours, it had completely crumbled away until not even the dust remained.

The End


End file.
